Dead Line
by meganekko-bomb
Summary: When Edward is kidnapped by serial killers, Roy is the only who can save him. But will he make it before midnight? RoyEd mature themes. NC, Abused Ed, Yaoi Now Complete.
1. Kite Street

So this is my first Fullmetal Alchemist Fanfiction. Of course, it is angst-filled, bloody and dramatic, as all my other fanfictions usually are. However, for this I managed to fit in dashes of sarcasm and humor, to keep up with the tone that the actual show sets. Yes this is from the Animeverse. Also, I am starting a new fanfiction category with the arrival of my new pen name, Meganekko.

So enjoy! Pairing: Roy/Ed Category:Crime/Angst

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Roy Mustang had never been the type of military man to be put on a patrol. As he strolled down the damp, dark alley, he contemplated the paperwork he could be completing instead of walking about with no real purpose with a very grouchy expression. He sighed, reminding himself that yes, there _was _a purpose for his nighttime patrolling; he had to keep the streets safe and blah blah blah.

The sound of rain dripping onto aluminium echoed through the alley, an annoying beat to which the Colonel marched forward to, casting his eyes carelessly left and right, taking in the view of overloaded dumpsters and neglected buildings.

Sighing once again, he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned on his heel, walking back down the alley, a cloud of disdain and boredom accompanying him.

A new sound punctured the mundane sounds of a wet night; the clomping of heavy boots hitting the pavement, with the brushing sound of cloth rubbing against cloth. Roy looked ahead, noticing a rather short person coming down the alley.

"Excellent," he thought, "Some entertainment at last. Nothing like heckling Fullmetal to brighten someone's day."

Edward was carrying a large stack of books, one open on top, which he appeared to be completely absorbed in as he walked. He looked different for some reason; Roy supposed it to be the odd articles of clothing the teen had chosen. His bright golden hair was done up differently, in a high ponytail, tied with a red ribbon. A pair of round spectacles perched on his nose, with simple silver frames. He had neglected to wear his trademark red overcoat, instead adorning an ebony raincoat, which had a high collar that almost reached the bottom of the frames of his glasses. He was extremely attractive in this outfit, Roy registered, suddenly feeling rather plain in his ordinary military uniform.

The teen continued on, completely oblivious to the presence of the Flame Alchemist. Roy watched him walk past for a moment, then leapt in front of him. With a shout of surprise in the form of an "Oh!" Edward fell to the wet pavement. His large stack of books fell to the ground, creating yet another divergent sound other than the dripping rain.

The blonde cursed, hastily reaching for his books to save them from the damp.

"Damn it, who-?" Edward looked over to where the last book lay, noticing a pair of very familiar military boots. He looked up, taking in the smug features of Roy Mustang.

"Good grief Fullmetal. Aren't you close enough to the ground without tripping and falling on it?"

"Stick it Colonel Stupid, you knocked into me." Edward made to grab the last book, but Roy snatched it up before he could reach it.

"Abstinence, Fullmetal? You're reading a book on abstinence?"

"Yeah you should read it, I'm sure it'll be educational for you. And the only reason I'm reading that is because there's nothing else I haven't read in the Second Branch." Edward stood up, taking the book back from the Colonel, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"As a responsible dog of the military, I am out performing my duties."

"You got stuck with patrol this week? Who'd you piss off to make that happen?"

"I didn't 'piss off' anyone, Fullmetal. More security is needed right now because of that case…"

"What case?" asked Edward, sounding genuinely interested.

"There's a murederer on the loose right now." Roy said, in a hushed voice. "There's already been eight girls killed all over the city."

"So they're so worried they stuck you on patrol on this end of town?"

"This end is as dangerous as any. And anyway, what are you doing out so late? Shouldn't you be in the dorms with Al?" Roy looked around, half expecting to see the familiar suit of armor that was Edward's little brother come running down the alley, scolding Edward for being alone in such a dangerous time.

"I'm only going to the Public Library on Kite Street. It's only twenty minutes from the dorms, okay?"

The teen looked at the older man, "Why are you scowling at me? I'm fine by myself."

Roy smiled, authentically, which was rare. "Whatever, just don't get killed on my watch. That could give me a bad reputation."

"In your dreams." Edward scoffed, striding past the Colonel, and swiftly walking down the alley, cracking open the book he was previously reading and resuming his page, a blush creeping over his cheeks.

Roy watched Edward until he was out of sight, mesmerized by the golden glint of his hair catching fractional light and dancing behind him with every step he took.

"That would be the epitome of my nightmares." Roy said softly, turning and continuing down the alley, the way Edward had come.

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Edward exited the library, saluting a very agitated librarian, who locked the door behind him. After using his State Alchemist certification to get her to open the library, he had taken a _very_ long time to select the three books he now carried. The librarian was very glad to see the back of him as he descended the steps.

The ponytailed blonde stepped off the curb, hurrying across the empty road. Edward had never liked being in the city, aside from the library access. He slipped into a narrow alley, navigating his route carefully, avoiding puddles. With a crack and a boom, torrents of rain began falling from the dark gray sky, drenching the teen almost instantly. He gasped, shoving his new books into his raincoat and quickened his pace, head bowed against the pounding of the rain.

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"Is that him?" a dirty finger pointed out from and alcove in the alley.

"Where?"

"The short blonde kid over there. He was talking to Mustang earlier."

"Yeah…" a smile played across the second man's face, "Let's get him."

"You're sure?" Another voice spoke through the darkness. "He's a guy."

"It'll hurt Mustang more than any of the other girls. Go get him."

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A rock flew through the rain, soaring over Edward's head as he bent down to cover his books. He jumped, noticing the rock, dodging to the side of the alley. Two men emerged from another alley in the criss-crossing network. The blonde placed a defiant look on his face, turning and studying the approaching men. They were both a good foot and a half taller than him, with muscles hardly bound by the work shirts they were wearing.

"Oh great. Thieves in an alley, late on a stormy night. My life is so clichéd." Edward rolled his eyes, blinking quickly against the heavily pouring rain.

"Oh, we're a lot more than thieves, kid. Unless stealing your life counts."

Edward tried not to let the worry he suddenly felt cross his face. Why was it that the more tired you were, the more scared you got?

The men advanced on the teen, fists raised.

Ed steeled himself, clapping his hands and transmuting his forearm plate into a blade, dropping his books in the process.

"How cute. The little alchemist thinks he can fight us."

"Who are you calling a pint-sized miniature excuse for a dwarf??!!"

The pint-sized miniature excuse for a dwarf leapt into the air, using the wall as a step of sorts, and kicked the man to the right in the face with his boot. The man stumbled back, while the other grabbed the teen midair, and twisted his left arm until it snapped. Edward screamed, his voice lost amidst the rain thundering down around them. The man swung him around, slamming him into the cement with such force that a few screws popped right out of his automail. His glasses shattered against his face, breaking into several pieces. Edward processed the situation for a few seconds, then retaliated. He shook his left arm from the man's grasp, willing the dislocation of his elbow to stop hurting so he could concentrate. He clapped again, transmuting the remains of the silver glasses into tiny darts that flew at the man who twisted his arm.

He bolted and ran, after the second man turned to the first to see what on earth he was yelling about.

"Oh no, you're not getting away." A new voice, raspy and masculine, became apparent, accompanied by a sharp and painful tug on Edward's hair.

"Ah, hell. Three-on-one? That's hardly fair." Edward swung widely with his automail arm, slicing his captors hand so he released him.

"You little bastard!!"

Ed started forward again, his red ribbon falling to the dirty alley ground; his aurum hair hung loose, streaming behind him as he made to run the second time.

"Enough!" The man who pulled the teen's hair pulled a gun from the inside of his jacket, straightening it and taking aim.

A small dart shot out of the barrel, searing through the rain and catching the fleeing boy right in the back of the neck.

Edward stumbled, his vision blurred as the tranquilizer coursed through his system. His arm and leg, the real ones, felt almost as lifeless as his steel limbs. He was so cold, and weak, he could barely keep moving.

_But I have to get… away from… them…_

Even thinking became a chore, as the tranquilizer took its full effect. He collapsed, almost to the end of the alley.

"Finally! Geez, I've never seen anyone fight so hard. Persistent little bastard, struggled the most, that's for sure."

"Pick him up." Ordered the man with the sliced hand. "We're going back now."

"Yes, boss." Replied the other two, moving toward the unconscious teenager.

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So, this is my first Fma fic.

Review! For cookies and pie!


	2. Phone Calls

**Chapter 2- Phone Calls**

It was nearly two in the afternoon when the Colonel was abruptly, (and in his opinion. rudely) awoken from his nap by the loud chiming of his telephone.

He swore loudly, knocking a stack of paper from the edge of the desk where his head had been resting. Cursing all that lived, he reached for the receiver, willing himself not to torch the thing to obliteration.

"Hello?" he answered sharply.

"Um, Colonel Mustang?" a timid tinny voice filtered through the earpiece, one which Roy immediately recognized as Edward's younger brother.

"Alphonse? What is it?"

"Y-you haven't seen my brother around today, have you?"

Roy neglected to say that he hadn't seen anyone today, as he had been isolated in his office and asleep. He replied with as neutral voice as he could muster, stifling a yawn. "I'm sorry, Al. I haven't seen him."

"Oh." Roy could almost feel the worry permeating the younger Elric's voice.

"He's probably asleep at the library again. He said he was going to the Kite Street one. Why don't you try there?"

"Okay, thank you." Al hung up, leaving Roy to contemplate where Edward could be also, placing the handset back on the telephone.

Wait a minute. Roy shook his head as if it would help clear his thoughts. Why did he care? Fullmetal could always look out for himself, There wasn't anything to worry about. Did he honestly _care_ what the teen was doing? But what if he was in trouble? What if he needed help, and Roy was just sitting there, trying to ignore it?

"Enough, thoughts!!" bellowed Roy, yelling at his own rapidly racing mind. "Fullmetal is fine. He is asleep in a pile of books in the Kite Street Library. There is nothing to worry about."

Roy grinned, thinking of the diminutive teen as he slumbered; those bright golden eyes calm at last, covered and edged with surprisingly long, dark eyelashes. His mouth open a fraction, breath flowing smoothly through those petal pink lips. His soft gold hair falling over his even softer skin-

"AAH! ENOUGH!!" yelled Mustang, halting his brain's overactive imagination.

"What is it now, sir?" Hawkeye's voice sounded through the door, completely unfazed by the Colonel's sudden outburst.

"Nothing, Lieutenant."

"Okay, sir."

"What on earth is wrong with me?" Roy silently questioned himself, running his gloved hands through his raven hair. "I don't like Fullmetal. I don't. He's my subordinate. He's too young. He's too obnoxious. He's a **guy** for goodness sakes! I don't like him!"

Yes you do A smirking voice said in his mind, one which sounded extraordinarily like the **guy** in question.

A battle of 'Yes you do/ No I don't" raged in Roy's mind for a few minutes, when the telephone rang yet again.

Roy answered it with a frown, "Hello?"

"Am I speaking to Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist?" a raspy man's voice came through the phone.

"Yes…" replied Roy cautiously.

"Listen carefully, we have another one." Roy made to interrupt, but the speaker continued, "Hey don't say anything yet. I'm not finished. I daresay you know who this is, paranoid patroller. We've got one that might make this matter a little more personal."

"I don't know what you could be talking about." Roy said coolly.

"I think you do. Do you want to hear them scream? Maybe you can guess who?"

Roy swallowed, praying the unknown caller wouldn't hear the sound. "Explain what you are doing." He demanded, somehow maintaining his calm distant voice, while a storm of concern raged in his chest.

At this the speaker laughed, "You're really trying to stay impartial, aren't you, Mustang? You're determined not to see the link between all these murders… but it's not hard to see. Surely you know what I'm talking about now."

"No I don't."

"Well, let me make it nice and simple for you. All those girls that turned up dead, who do you think charmed them all, and later broke their hearts when they woke up alone? Who entirely forgot about them, and moved along with their perfect career?"

Roy felt his eyes widen, he could only manage a quick intake of breath as a response, allowing the speaker to continue.

"Well, now you understand, I'll give you a chance to find this one before I kill them. And keep in mind, you do have a while, I like to take my time. This one is trying really hard not to scream, but I'll wait. I want to hear them cry and plead for their life. Oh do you want to hear? I think they've started… listen!"

Roy listened intently, fear tearing at him like some feral beast, he waited for a few seconds, then…

A scream could be heard, with the trademark muffled sound of something in the background of a telephone conversation, muffled and indistinct.

"Stop it! Let go--!"

Those four words were all the Colonel heard, before the raspy-voiced man continued.

"I think there's about… oh… let's say until midnight before they break completely. That's a sporting chance… come find us!"

The line died with a click, although the murmured screams remained, ringing the four words in Roy's mind.

That voice, he knew that voice… it had to be, it could be anyone but…

Edward.

Roy allowed himself a full five seconds to process the shock that pressed on him from all sides.

"Edward…" he whispered, feeling cold all over.

He leapt from his chair, knocking it back against the wall, and grabbed the telephone yet again. Hastily, he dialed in a common number for his phone, a cold sweat running down his face as he listened to the bell-like tone repeat again and again.

"Pick up, damn it, would you-"

"Yo, this is Hughes. Ah Roy?" Hughes paused, listening intently from the tiny bit of speech as Roy was cursing him preceding his greeting.

"Maes, have you heard anything about another kidnapping? Anything?"

"Roy, calm down." Hughes was shocked at the straight panic in his normally ever stoic friend's voice, "What's wrong?"

"They've got Edward!" Roy's voice sounded upon the edge of tears now, something his lifelong friend had not heard for nearly six years.

"Roy, calm down and explain it to me. Who's got Edward?" It was at this point that it occurred to Hughes that Roy had referred to the teen as 'Edward'. This was a terribly uncommon occurrence for the Flame Alchemist, who always liked to flaunt his position as Fullmetal's superior, and always addressed his subordinate by his title.

"They just called me. I heard him scream. They took him, they made him scream, Hughes! Now tell me if you heard anything! They told me there's only until midnight! I don't have time, please Hughes!"

"There have been reports of a disturbance near…" The sound of flipping paper reverberated through the phone. "Oh, Kite Street. Apparently they found… Roy?"

Roy felt his lip quivering as he quieted himself from the moan of horror he freed from his lips. Kite Street, Kite Street Library. If Edward had been taken from there, Roy could have stopped him, he should have ordered the boy to go straight home.

"Roy, come to the Investigations Department, okay?"

"What?"

"Come see me in Forensic Lab Two, I need you to look at some things."

"Okay." Roy answered, hanging up the phone without waiting for the traditional ceremonies of terminating telephone conversations.

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Twenty minutes later, after rushing out of his office, ordering Hawkeye to supervise his position and yelling at Fuery for smiling, Roy burst into the aforementioned Forensic Lab Two. He spotted Hughes immediately, as he was the only other person within the lab.

"Hughes!"

Hughes looked up from the book he was closely scrutinizing, a serious look dominating his normally cheerful features.

"This is the evidence they collected form an alley off Kite Street. Apparently, there was a fight, we also found traces of blood and…" Hughes handed a long ribbon with a label on it to Roy. "…does this look familiar?"

Roy took the ribbon, memories of the previous night flooding his mind with a lump rising in his throat.

"It's… it's Ed's hair ribbon. He was wearing it last night. Maes, I was there, I could have, I should have protected him!" Roy swayed on the spot, as Edward's screams echoed in his mind.

"This is not your fault," said Hughes bracingly, placing a hand on Roy's shoulder.

"I have to find him! I'll organize a search party, I'll look everywhere!!"

"Roy. Just stop for a moment. Did you notice anything suspicious last night? You were on the Kite Street Patrol, weren't you? Any objects or people that were out of place?"

"All I saw was Edward. He was going to the library, through the alleys. We talked for a bit, then parted ways."

"That's all?"

"That's all." Roy's head snapped up, "Maes, they said all of the murders were connected to me! Those girls who were killed, I went out with all of them! It's my fault, they're trying to get at me, and now Edward is…"

"Hey! The only one at fault here is those murderers! Don't you go blaming yourself! We have to find Edward; we are going to find him. Before they…" Hughes couldn't bring himself to verbalize the teen's fate, instead allowing the sentence to fall into nothingness.

"But I don't have any leads. I just standing here while Edward is being hurt, or tortured, or raped, for all I know! I can't just wait here! I'm going to look for him. He's out there, and he needs me!"

The Flame Colonel turned, tightening the hair ribbon within his tense fist, and made to run back out the door, when Hughes' phone rang, now a sound of dread to he raven-haired man.

"Hello?" Hughes answered the phone, sounding oddly relaxed.

"Yes… why?"

Roy stood on tenterhooks, hearing only half of the conversation.

Maes turned, holding the handset out to his friend, "It's for you."

"Hello?" Roy leaned against the table that held the gathered evidence, somehow summoning up a calm voice. His eyes remained filled with worry and grief, Hughes noted, watching tentatively.

"Colonel Mustang, you've already wasted a half-hour of your time. Have you got any closer to rescuing our new victim? He's really quite attractive… I can see why you're going for him now. Looking at him with that special smile… you _love_ him, don't you?"

"Stop playing this sick game, and let Edward go!!" Roy bellowed, losing his cool for the first time.

"Oh… it's _Edward_. He's got a name now. It seems I was right about this one being personal… I guess he's the Fullmetal then? I figured, from the automail." The man on the other line clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Shame on you, Mustang. You knoe relationships are usually frowned upon within the military."

"Don't… you don't know anything! You had better…"

"What? Are you going to come after me? You're going to come and fetch your dog before I put him down? He's moaning like a kicked stray, and it's still a while until midnight. The time's up and he'll bleed and bleed until he stops!"

Roy remained silent, wondering what the hot stinging in his eyes was.

"I suppose I can give you a hint… hmm… let's see, why don't you go back to the place where you gave him your special smile? You'll find something that might help you out. Oh, your Edward wants to say goodbye!"

Another scream for help rang through the phone, so loud that even Hughes heard it.

"_Stop it!! Get off me!!"_

"Aand, done." The line died.

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	3. Collar

Wow, people. Thanks for the reviews! Really! I've never got so many in such a short time.

Oh, a disclaimer too. I so don't own FMA, or any related indicia. That's all Hiromu Arakawa.

Anyway, onwards to Chapter Three.

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**Chapter Three- Collar**

Edward stared around, hearing a voice talking happily, not far from him, as he attempted to break free of his bindings. The rough rope cut into his wrist, throwing more blood onto the surroundings already congealing with the copious amount the teen had already lost.

As far as he could tell, he was in some kind of warehouse, there were boxes and crates grouped all around where he lay. The ceilings were high, with chains hanging from the steel beams, and spiderwebs hanging from the chains. A dim light shone out of the corner of the boxes, where a desk and a chair sat. The telephone was on the table, if only he could reach it... Now would not be the best time to attempt to retrieve the phone, however, as the scrawniest of the trio was talking on it, and looking very pleased with himself.

"-Looking at him with that special smile, you love him don't you?"

Edward could not remember being so scared in his entire life, this was worse than the time he was taken to a similar place, a warehouse where he was imprisoned by a serial killer. Barry the Chopper. The terror he had felt in that situation, before he was going to die, he felt it here, in this freakishly similar place, knowing, always knowing he would be killed. He considered the possibility of a second encounter of this same kind, weighing the odds of it happening. It was ridiculous. This sort of thing shouldn't happen more than once, let alone to the same person.

_But that's how the world is, Fullmetal. Terrible things happen every day. It's your job to make sure they don't._

The Colonel's words floated to the top of his mind, a small comfort in this hell. Maybe he was crazy, but just a glimmer of something that didn't have anything to do with... what was happening consoled him immensely. Even if it was just the Colonel.

Another sudden pain through his right leg, as a knife twisted its way between his kneecap and knee; a bottle opener struggling with a particularly persistent cap. He looked over to the inflicter of the new burst of pain, glancing into his mud brown eyes. The man was waiting for the teen to scream and cry, waiting with some delighted anticipation.

_Don't scream, you'll give them the satisfaction of knowing they have power over you._

Don't scream, that's what the Colonel said, what Roy said to do in this sort of situation. At the time he spoke those words, Edward had simply shrugged it off, that would never happen to him. Not after it had already happened once. Right?

Wrong.

He was so wrong. Is that why they took him? For all the life of him, he could not think of a reason _why_ he had been taken. According to the Investigations Department, these serial killers targeted women. Women with ages ranging from nineteen to twenty six. He didn't fit into either category, so why-?

A stronger shot of pain emanated from his leg, streaking sleekly into his chest and pushing the hidden scream from it's depths.

"Stop it!! Get off me!!" the teen screamed, thrashing within the numbing ropes. He lifted his leg, pulling the ropes taut.

Keep going, keep going. It'll break, and you can escape.

With a gasp of surprise from both the victim and the captor, the rope snapped, and Edward's leg burst free, striking the scrubby man directly in the face. Edward wriggled his other leg free, the prosthetic limb slid easily through the now-slackened ropes. Now all was left was to get free from the ropes over his bare chest, if he could just get his hands together, this would be so _easy_.

The man was back on his feet, only momentarily stunned by Edward's strong kick. He retaliated with one of his own, aimed directly into the teen's ribcage; there was a cracking sound. Ed instinctively halted, the debilitating pain sparking through his veins, this blow made him hurt everywhere. His breathing hitched, it was as though his lungs decided to depart for a coffee break or something. He gasped loudly, a scream riding along, resulting in an odd conglomeration of sound, all meaning the same thing. Pain.

At this point the 'leader', as Ed called him, strode over, surveying the scene with distaste.

"I thought you were supposed to be some great knot tier."

"It wasn't the knot that was the problem." the man said, looking down his nose at the shuddering blonde. "I tie knots just fine. See?" he indicated the thick knot pressing on Edward's chest. "It holds fine."

"That doesn't matter, he's still half-free. You have to make sure he doesn't get free."

"Sorry, Tilas."

"Don't say my name, you idiot!!"

"Sorry, Ti- boss."

Edward coughed, his lungs finally kicking back in. He bent his legs, as much in a compact ball as he could be. The 'leader', Tilas, knelt down beside, him smirking maliciously. He ran a finger along Edward's jaw, sending a shiver down the teen's spine that was not related to his newly-acquired cracked, fractured, or completely broken rib.

"Woof woof, little dog. All you do is whine. But look, I found a nice collar for you! Would you like to try it on?"

The blonde closed his eyes, willing his mind to go elsewhere while the 'leader' was in this close of proximity. Sink into a state of blank meditation so he wouldn't feel the pervasive touch of this Tilas, His touch was sickening, nausea inducing. His caresses were gentle, but the intent behind was too repulsive to even be thought of as that.

He stroked the teen's exposed, pale flesh, running his hands over the tense muscles on Edward's chest, making the latter's skin crawl. A scratchy collar was placed around Edward's neck, the cold buckle a shock against his skin. The leader fussed with the buckle for a moment, then, pulled the loose end of the collar to tighten around the teen's neck.

Ed coughed, choking as the collar snaked around his windpipe, constricting his breathing drastically.

"Good, that adds style. Now you look right. Well, maybe..." Tilas licked his lips, reaching for the only other buckle in sight.

"Grab his feet." he ordered, busying himself with unbuckling Edward's belt and unzipping his pants.

'_No, get away, you sick... don't you dare...' _Edward stared with wide eyes, unable to blink, and ignoring the tears that were filling his eyes and spilling onto his neck. He made to kick again, but was tethered down by the ropes the other man was employing himself in reinforcing around his ankles.

He felt the cool air rush onto his waist and hips as his pants were tugged down, along with his underwear.

'_No, no, get away. Stop it, stop it.'_

"Stop it!!!" he managed to scream, as he lay fully exposed on the cold concrete floor.

"Didn't your man Mustang say dogs never complain? You're awfully whiny for a military dog. Maybe you need to be punished."

'_This can't be happening.'_ Ed's mind swam, drowning in the sea of impossibility. The 'leader' bore down on him, pushing his body against his.

"Nooooo!!!"

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Alphonse Elric stood in front of the Kite Street Library, looking up and down the street, as if Ed's location would be readily apparent. It was a normal, busy Saturday, with people rushing here and there, completing various errands.

To be truthful, he did look a bit odd by himself. When he was with Ed, Alphonse's presence was much less menacing, probably because of how little a slight it took to get Ed angry, the resulting comparison making Al very nice.

As it was, he was alone, and getting strange looks from the passerby. He didn't mind, he was too focused on the whereabouts of his older brother; he hadn't come home last night, even when he had promised. Edward never broke promises, no matter how good of an excuse he might have had. To mention the Colonel hadn't seen him either, which was rare, because it was necessary for Edward to report to him every morning. The last place Al had thought to look for his brother, the Kite Street Library, had also turned up negative results.

Al was standing quite still beside the stairs to the library, anyone who didn't know him would probably think he was a new statue.

Being a statue to most people on the street, there was a slight surprise when the suit of armour started walking across the street. Another surprise for the pedestrians on the street was a large military car speeding down the thoroughfare. It screeched to a halt in front of the steps Alphonse had recently departed from, and the driver side door burst open. The Colonel, much to Al's surprise bolted out of the car, across the street and past Alphonse into the alley. Cars braked, and more than one angry driver swore at the Colonel.

"Dammit, Roy! You can't just run into traffic!" Another voice reprimanded the Colonel, but not one of the drivers.

Alphonse stared as the passenger side door opened and Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes stepped onto the sidewalk. He waited for the traffic to ebb so he could run across the street in pursuit of his friend.

"Lt. Colonel Hughes! What are you doing here?" Alphonse asked, as soon as the bespectacled man made it to the sidewalk where the steel armour stood. "You know you left your car open right?"

Hughes looked up, his face oddly serious. "Alphonse, come over here, okay?"

Hughes strode into the alley where Roy had run, leading the suit of armour that was completely oblivious to the direness of the situation.

"DAMN IT!" Roy's voice, distraught and angry, came from the alley.

"Colonel!" Alphonse was instantly concerned, "What's the matter? Are you all right?"

"You- you really don't know, do you Al?" Hughes asked, stepping beside the younger Elric brother, "About Ed?"

The bodyless soul turned to Roy, his armour clanking. Roy was shaking slightly, clutching a piece of paper and something gold close to his chest.

"What happened to my brother? Is he okay? Wh-where is he?"

"H-he was... I let it..." Roy stumbled on his words, verbally tripping.

"Tell me Colonel! What happened to my brother?!!"

"He was taken.. by those serial killers."

Al froze, "Wh-what? Serial killers? Why?"

It was not the question Roy was expecting. He thought Al would ask, 'When?' or 'Where?' maybe even 'How?'. He was certainly not prepared for 'Why?'.

"Because... because of me."

Roy stood up, his knees damp from the still moist alley, revealing what he was holding; his face was betraying his stoicism, tears threatening to break him completely.

"Colonel, you're joking right?" Alphonse said slowly, "Where's my brother? He's hiding around here, isn't he? Ed! This isn't funny! Ed!"

"They took him... Look." Roy held out his hand to Hughes, a roughly scrawled note and a gold braid resting in his palm.

At first glance, the braid appeared to be the cording on a military uniform Roy and Hughes were wearing, but on closer inspection, it was real hair. Tainted with blood, the golden sheen of the severed braid was still unmistakably Edward's.

"That's, that's Brothers, but why? Why is this happening?" Al looked from Roy to Hughes.

The bespectacled man stepped forward, taking the note from his friend's hand. His eyes skimmed down it quickly, his brow furrowing. He gasped near the end, looking back to Roy, who looked as if he were suppressing the urge to vomit.

"What's that? Let me see it!" Al snatched the note from Hughes, turning and beginning to read.

"Al, don't-"

_To the Colonel, Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang_

_I hope this finds you well. As you are no doubt aware, there are only nine hours remaining until 2400 hours, to save his life. I felt it wouldn't be sporting if I didn't give some sort of clue, so you get a piece of this puzzle I'm dismantling, and some information. He's between an L and a W._

_Hurry up, he is screaming quite loudly now, though I don't see why. It's only what you do with girls all the time. He's waiting and dying, come save him!_

"This is because of you?" Al stared into Roy's shining midnight blue eyes. "Edward is screaming because of _you_?"

Al shoved Roy into the wall, pushing him upward, the raven-haired man was pushed up the wall by Al's grip on the front of his shirt. The note fell from Al's grasp, landing in a puddle with a soft pat.

"I told him you weren't good for him! I told him! But he didn't listen to me! You shouldn't have let him think he could! You're not good!" Al yelled, ignoring Hughes' protests. Roy stared into the younger Elric's white/red eyes.

"I know. He deserves better than me. I should be where he is. I know that!"

Al pressed harder on Roy's dangling body, "So why did you let this happen!? My brother, my Edward is being hurt and it's your fault! He'll never love you after this!"

"I know that!! I know! But I'll still love-"

"Don't you dare say you love him! If you let this happen, you don't know how to love him!!" The suit of armour relinquished his hold on Roy's shirtfront, stepping back. Roy slid to the ground, still holding Edward's golden braid.

Al stormed out of the alleyway, his hollow steps echoing in the murky air.

"Alphonse, where are you going?" Hughes asked, nervously looking at Roy, who slumped in the alley corner.

"I'm going to look for my brother. He needs help." Al said, completely prescinding Roy's presence.

Hughes looked to his crumpled friend, holding out his hand. "People say things they don't mean when someone they care about is in danger. You know that Roy."

"He may not have meant it, but he's right. Edward deserves more than me. I'll save him, then I'm leaving. I'll get out of his life forever."

"Roy..."

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Okay, that was Chapter Three.

Remember, reviews make the story chug along faster! Also, cookies and pie for reviewers!

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	4. Escape

**Dead Line Chapter Four- Escape**

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So wowee people! 23 Reviews! I feel so honored! That's the most I've ever gotten for one fanfiction! Apparently, I'm making you feel sorry for characters, and you are all enjoying the offered cookies and pie. Remember, there's always more if you review!

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Eternity seemed to pass Edward by as he lay limply on the ice concrete floor. He had completely abandoned his quest to escape, now wholly without hope. No one was coming to save him, no one knew he was here.

Ropes bit into his legs, the leather material that was somewhat protecting them bunched around his ankles after the leader had pulled it away.

The teen's breathing was slow and shallow, hindered by the beige collar tight around his neck. It felt tighter, cutting deep abrasions ever since... the incident. When Tilas had... Edward could not even think of it again, but during the incident, he had jerked his head far enough to strike the pervasive man in the jaw. This resulted in a sharp punch to his right eye, which was now purple and black with bruising. Edward could barely see through his blackened eye, had he chose to register anything.

As it was, he was staring blankly at the crates opposite, auric eyes now dulled to bronze. He glanced briefly upward as Red Shirt came over.

This was his registration of his captors; Red Shirt was quiet, and didn't touch him there; Blue Shirt was loud, and followed Tilas' orders always; and Tilas, the 'leader', was the most violent, and had... invaded him.

Red Shirt checked the security of the ropes, tugging on the knots around Edward's wrists.

"It's not like I'm gonna escape anyway..." mumbled the blonde, his head bowed.

Red Shirt did not reply, moving on to the tightness of the ropes on Edward's legs. Much to the teen's surprise, he felt the ropes slacken and merely rest over the stinging welts on his pale flesh.

Curiously, he looked up, his eyebrows quirking in confusion.

"You said you weren't going to escape. So we don't need the ropes there, right?"

Red Shirt's voice was oddly young sounding; Edward considered him for a moment, he couldn't be much older than himself His face was round and kind, the blonde could not help but think of his younger brother, the other teen's eyes were surprisingly close in the copperish shade. His hair was cropped roughly, the dark brown tufts sticking upward.

"Are you cold?"

Edward simply stared, dumbfounded. A door banged open from somewhere off to the right, and a cold breeze shot through the warehouse, and washed over the pair. Edward shivered, more from fear than cold. That means _he's _back.

"Don't worry. Tilas and X went somewhere else." Red Shirt stood up and strode away, he disappeared for a moment, and the cold wind was halted.

Red Shirt came back into view with a thick blanket draped over his arm. "Here..." he unfolded the blanket over Edward's naked body, tucking it in near the ropes.

"What are you doing?" question the aurum haired alchemist, as the older teen loosened the bindings on Edward's flesh wrist.

"I'm making it so you can get away."

"Who are you?" Edward slurred, feeling very tired all of a sudden, perhaps it was the insulated warmth offered by the blanket.

"I'm Tilas' nephew. My name is Cael Tremblay."

"Edward Elric. Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Oh I know who you are. You're the one who saved my parents and everybody in Youswell. I was working near Halling's inn at the time. I saw what you did for everyone there. I know you're not bad like my uncle thinks you are. He thinks you're just like Mustang, because you're friends and all."

"What do you have against Colonel Mustang?" demanded the teen, his voice layered with venom even in his whisper,

"I donn't have anything against him. My uncle does. His ex-wife dated Mustang once, he broke her heart. She thought it was love, and died not long after that. My uncle's trying to kill Mustang the same way."

Edward felt tears spring into his eyes. He was amazed at how little it took for such an intense emotional upheaval. Tracks of salty tears snaked down his face, absorbed by the thick blanket over his shoulder.

"No he's not... he wouldn't..." Edward stuttered, his breath seizing up as he cried. "Why am I here then?"

"Because my uncle thinks that Colonel Mustang is really in love with you." The brunette teen remained stoic, unfazed by Edward's paroxysm of sorrow.

The younger teen replied by sniffing and squeezing the last of the tears from between his eyelashes. The golden of his irises shone brightly for a split second, edged with silver beads still clinging to his long, dark eyelashes. They faded back to the tarnished bronze as his eyelids dropped.

"I wish..." mumbled the blonde, closing his eyes and seeming to deflate somewhat.

"I think he does too."

Edward remained silent, absently shifting his flesh leg against the blanket.

"Are you going to try and escape? Now's your chance, I'm actually not supposed to be here right now. I was told to go and put this note and a braid of your hair where we... took you from." 

"I can't move my leg very well. I don't think I would get very far. Odds are, I would only get about two or three blocks away before my leg would give out."

"You're thinking very logically."

"There's no point getting panicked or scared. It doesn't do any good." Edward was thinking more level headed now, thanks to the warmth of the blanket and the somewhat restoration of his dignity.

Cael reached forward tentatively, touching Edward's golden hair. The blonde flinched visibly, a deep shock of fear ricocheting inside his ribcage, bumping into his heart, and setting it into hysterics. Brushing through the messy strands with his thick fingers, the older teen smiled softly, a silent reassurance. Still calculating Cael carefully, Edward relaxed fractionally, convincing himself that he was all right. Cael's fingers twisted his golden hair into a tight braid, tying it with a brown elastic and snipping it off with a pair of silver scissors. The shortened strands of hair fell behind Edward's right ear, tickling slightly.

"I'm going now. You can escape." Cael indicated the loosened ropes on Edward's wrists. "Those knots are for show. If you tug upwards, you'll come loose. Get as far away from here as you can, and call for help or something."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Edward again and freeing his left hand.

"My uncle is insane. I don't want to help him hurt any more innocent people."

Edward pulled his right hand free, sitting up stiffly. "You guys _are _behind all those girls' deaths?"

"This is the first time I've been involved. Now go! Before they get back!" Cael stood up again, hurrying over to the table and retrieving a crumpled paper. "Go out the back, it's over there." The brunette motioned to an area beyond a stack of boxes which appeared to be full of twine.

He ran across the concrete floor, his work book echoing around. "Goodbye, I'll probably never see you again." he darted around some huge crates, and the sound of his boots gradually faded from audibility.

Ed stood very shakily, hardly believing what had just occurred, He placed his steel hand on a box, steadying himself as he began his sluggish walk to the exit. He clutched the soft tan blanket around himself, tugging his pants up around his waist. He didn't bother with the belt, leaving it open in his haste to get out of the warehouse. Ropes trailed behind him, still fastened around his ankles. Abruptly, a sharp tug stalled his steps; he gasped, his previously disturbed heart leaping out of his fear-filled chest and resting in the back of his throat. Dooming himself to capture again, Ed fearfully looked back, sighing with relief as there was no human presence, but a rope around his automail ankle had snagged on a nearby crate. Easy to mistake a rope for a human hand when your ankle is made of pure steel.

He caught sight of the door that banged open earlier, quickening his pace towards it as soon as he had released himself from the box. He wrenched it open, dim light flooding his vision, sparse, but enough to effectively blind him for a moment. Warily, he stepped outside, his bare foot splashing in a a dirty refuse-filled puddle. The smell of fetid food and rot filled his nostrils; he wrinkled his nose at a dumpster teeming with bacterial life.

He pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders, squinting at some signs nearby, trying to figure out where he was. The back entrance of a shop called Lewis and Son's loomed up before him, he shuffled along cutting his foot on a broken beer bottle on the gravelly alley.

A slamming of a door sounded from inside the warehouse he had previously vacated. He dashed away from the doorway of his prior jail, running doggedly down the narrow alley, his eyes widening as he discovered a dead end directly ahead. He brought his severely throbbing left arm up, again ignoring the dislocation in his elbow. He was an inch from bringing them together to attempt some alchemy, when a broad hand grabbed his forearm and yanked his already near broken arm behind his back.

He kicked back, his efforts in vain as a knife plunged past the leather guard and into the flesh just above the automail port on his left leg.

A hand clamped firmly over his mouth as he screamed, muffling the noise.

"Where do you think you're going, you little bastard?" a voice whispered in his ear, as he was pulled away from the end of the alley.

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Oooo, a cliffhanger. I bet you readers hate me for that. I had to try it though. I've read a few fics with cliffhangers. They looked like fun.

Anyway. -holds out cookies and pie- You want 'em? You have to review! Nyah nyah nyah!!


	5. Leads

**Dead Line Chapter Five-**

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Welcome to chapter Five. I would like to take this moment to thank my super reviewers:

Onwards!

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_--To be in the military, we have to distance ourselves from any personal attachments.-- Roy Mustang_

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Roy trudged back into the Investigation Forensic Lab number two, misery accompanying him like some parasitic growth. Resignedly, he tossed the now-damp letter into the pile of possible incriminating evidence; he carefully tucked the braid of Edward's hair into his pocket, beside the bright red ribbon. He stood beside the table, examining the contents, but could not quite finish any connections or think clearly at all. A thought would pop into his mind, and he felt a leap of false hope, bringing him slightly upward out of his hole of despair, only to sink lower as he cast the idea aside.

Hughes closed the gaping door, stepping beside his longtime friend. "I got the report of all of the evidence left behind at the other crime scenes. The only common bond between the murders are the way the bodies were found. They were exsanguinated, by several cuts to various arteries on their arms and legs. But the CoD was a horizontal laceration to their necks."

"Enough." Mustang muttered, closing his fist on the two personal items of Edward's.

"Roy, we have to look at this like any other case, we can't get distracted by our worry or our feelings. It can't be personal."

"But it is personal!" Roy rounded on the bespectacled man, "They're trying to get me! It's me they want dead and Edward is just an obstacle to them! They will kill him!"

Hughes frowned, grabbing the collar of Roy's uniform, bringing him closer to his face, so their noses nearly touched. "You need to distance yourself from your emotions, get your brain working and find him! You can be sad and depressed and self-destructive later! Because right now you need to get your head on straight and find the man you love before he is killed! DO YOU GET IT?!" Hughes gave Roy a strong shake, almost hearing the message click in the latter's mind.

Hughes was breathing heavily, he released his friend and stepped back, surveying the raven-haired man through piecing green eyes.

"So what else did that report say?" asked Roy, taking it out of Hughes' hands and smoothing it out. He still looked very troubled, but new determination shone in his eyes as he perused the contents of the case file.

"The time of deaths... they're all about an hour apart..." Roy registered, his brow furrowed.

"This one at 3:00, then 4:00, this one at 5:00, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. This is methodical. Whoever is behind this has a plan for each one." he looked at Hughes, who was scrutinizing a quick note beside a photograph of one of the girls' wrists.

"This was Maria Therona. She was an accomplished student in a dojo nearby. She has two different marks here, one looks like rope, and the other looks like a stronger material. I think she fought back."

"Which implies that she was meant to be kept alive until a certain time, or they would have just killed her when she tried to escape." Roy confirmed his own assumption, reading more on the report.

"Put the victims in order of when they were killed. 3, 4, 5, 6... and on." said Roy, placing the thick file on the white tabletop.

Hughes spread out each of the girls' respective files on the surface, their pictures clipped to the front so Roy could see them.

"Wait... there's one missing."

"What?"

"Where's the girl who died at 11:00?"

"There wasn't one."

"But he said, he said Edward would die at midnight. His method, a girl should have died at eleven for him to say Edward would die at midnight."

"Maybe he's going for the more dramatic effect. The final death at midnight?"

"Or maybe there's another girl captured."

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A man strode down the hallway, his foreboding army medals gleaming off the fluorescent lights and glowing like his sneering face. Several officers shrank away from his commanding presence, he scowled at a few of them, and continued on his way.

A few empty hallways later, he arrived at his destination, Investigation's Forensic Lab Two.

He opened the door and interrupted a hushed conversation between two lower ranking officers.

"I hear there's been a break in the serial murder case?" he prompted in a loud voice.

"General Tremblay!" Hughes cut Roy's sentence short with a salute. The raven-haired man looked up, his eyes narrowing at the new intruder on the discussion.

"I came to see what new evidence you've collected. I'm handing over the assignment to Investigation Lab Four. I think they'll be more suited to it."

Hughes gaped, his salute falling as he stepped forward before Roy could say anything "Sir, I respectfully object. Colonel Mustang and myself have made real progress so far. I think we could catch the murderers soon."

"Murderers? Implying there's more than one out there?"

"Yes, sir." said Hughes breathlessly. "We also procured a clue from them. It seems they are willing to keep Major Elric alive until at least midnight."

"How did you come by this clue?" the General arched a thick eyebrow, addressing Roy.

"I received a phone call earlier today."

"And you didn't feel the need to report it?" Something in the man's voice was grating to Roy, making him think inexorably of the phone call.

"It wasn't necessary to make it public knowledge, was it, _General?_" asked Roy coolly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You had better watch your tone, Mustang."

Roy simply remained silent, examining the General as if he were sizing him up for a fight.

"Gather all of the evidence for travel to Lab Four. I expect it in the next hour exactly."

Roy glanced at the clock above the door. Four o'clock.

"I will be back at five." The General gave another dirty look to Roy, turning on his highly polished heel and striding out of the Lab.

"Bastard." Roy commented, turning back to the evidence table. He kept his head down, absent-mindedly shuffling papers into a stack. "You don't have any intention of quitting this case, do you? I'm not giving this up to some people who couldn't care less about meeting the dead line."

"I know how you feel, but these are orders from the Gen--"

"Screw his orders! I'm finding Edward if it's the last thing I do!" Roy pounded his hand on the table, knocking a paper to the floor. He took a deep breath, clutching his jet black hair. "I'm scared I'll be too late Hughes. It has to be me. I have to know he's okay."

"Well, we could get Scieszka to read these reports for us." Hughes said shrewdly, smiling at Roy, taking no notice of his friend's distraught tone.

"She's under your command, just don't let General Tremblay know about her."

"I'll call her now." Hughes picked up the telephone from a nearby counter, making to move it into the light above the evidence table. Much to his surprise, it rang while in his hands, he jumped so violently, and nearly dropped it. He placed it one the table clumsily, tripping on the cord. It rang again, and Roy answered it.

"Eight more hours, eight more rounds. Your little cargo package is waiting for you. The wrapping is ripped away, and it's not as clean as it was. Your little package is kind of ruined. I didn't take good care of it. I might just throw it away."

"I'm going to find him, you son of a bitch."

"Ooh, my. You sound a bit angry, Colonel Mustang." His name rolled off the speaker's tongue, thick with malice and contempt.

"You can give up now, and your sentence might be-" Roy was cut off as the man on the other line laughed heartily.

"You don't _really_ think I'm going to let you catch me?"

"It's not up to you."

"Did you know that everything you say, if I don't like it, he gets your punishment. You better watch your mouth. It could get your little blondie seriously hurt."

"This has nothing to do with him. Why are you doing this?"

"He's disgusting, filthy. He loves you. He loves _you._ You who defiled so many hearts, you sick freak. He deserves your punishment for lowering himself to your level."

"He doesn't love me." Roy said calmly, shaking his ebony hair in front of his eyes. "You don't have to do this to him."

"I do. You need to feel the pain as the one you love is ripped away from your heart forever. But, I've talked too long. Your next clue will be waiting for you in your office. Hurry and find it!"

Roy threw the phone on the table, heart beating a bruise on his chest, threatening to shatter his ribs like sugar glass. The rhythmic thumping pounded in his ears as if he were drowning, he ran as fast as his shock-infused body would take him, back to where his search had began.

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Alphonse stared at the sign in front of the military building, his eyes scanning the list for a particular office. He was not used to this district of the military headquarters, usually only ever accompanying Edward to the military dormitories and to Colonel Mustang's office.

A feeling of shame and remorse bubbled up in Alphonse's mind, as he thought about what he had said to the Colonel after learning what was happening to Edward. He hadn't meant to lose control like that. Of course it wasn't the Colonel's fault. He had come to the Investigation Department, to find Roy and apologize.

There wasn't really anywhere else to go anyway, he asked everyone in the Kite Street district if they had seen his brother and received nothing but negative results. He inquired at the Colonel's office, a very agitated Lieutenant Hawkeye directing him to Investigations and demanding what was the problem. Alphonse hastily explained that his brother was in big trouble, before departing to find the Colonel.

He confirmed his destination on the small map in the lobby of the office, heading down the hallway to Forensic Lab Number Two.

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"Where do you think you're going, you little bastard?" a voice whispered in his ear, as he was pulled away from the end of the alley.

_No, no this can't be happening. I'm escaping, I've escaped. This is all a horrible dream, I'm safe somewhere, this is just residue of what happened before. I can't be here again._

The teen was shaken from his thoughts when he was slammed roughly onto the cement floor. White ligths popped in front of his vision, blinding him momentarily, as skull-splitting blows were delivered to his head repeatedly. It seemed his attacker was utiliasing some sort of weapon, it felt like a two-by-four or something blunt like that. When his face was sufficiently marred, and the teen was on the brink of unconsciousness, the strikes ceased, the sound of the weapon clattering to the ground filled his ears. A thick wooden sound, knock on wood for luck. Groaning slightly, Edward noted with considerable discomfort that someone was straddling his hips, he opened his usable eye blearily, regarding the livid face of Blue Shirt.

Roughly, the burly man pulled him into a semi-sitting position by the collar around his neck.

"You thought you could escape? You honestly thought that you were going to escape, and survive this sordid tale? You'd carry on, only remembering this as a horrible memory, and we would go to jail, right?" Blue Shirt grinned maliciously, moving in closer and licking the side of the teens face, smacking his lips to the taste of the blood.

Edward felt his dwindling consciousness bid him farewell, black clouds swirled over the white spots. Furiously, he blinked them away, scattering the tendrils of darkness to the edges of his view, and stared the man down through intense golden eyes. He had tasted freedom, he would attain it again. No matter what.

"You are going to rot in jail like the scum you are." the teen said through gritted teeth, his eyes burning like flames behind the barrier of bruises and blood.

Another shattering punch landed on the side of his face, knocking a tooth out inside his mouth; he tasted blood, spitting it out onto the enraged man's shirt, mixing red and blue. A purple bruise against the fabric.

Blue Shirt seemed to take this as insolence, shifting and getting to his feet, still holding Edward by the collar. Effortlessly, he lifted the blonde and threw him against the huge crates in front of him.

Edward got to his hands and knees, clapping his hands together with a shock of pain blooming inside his arm, barely noticeable. He made to transmute the floor into a weapon of some kid so he could fight back. Before he could, however, a steel-toed boot connected with his stomach at a high velocity, successfully halting the teen. Defeated, Edward slumped to the ground, finally succumbing to the extreme pain coursing through his veins, circulated through his heart and distributed through his arteries. He watched the heavy boots of Blue Shirt approach, his vision dominated by a blurring of tears spilling over the bridge of his nose, mixing with the blood from the numerous wounds on his face.

He breathed in slowly, the cold floor soothing to the abrasions and lacerations on the left side of his face.

_Just concentrate, transmute something. Save yourself before he touches you again. Do it, save yourself. _

_Too late._

Blue Shirt was on top of him again, he felt the cold rush of exposed skin, the last terrifying sensation.

Edward fell, forever, into dreams his mind shutting down from the concentration of the agony.

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Well, you know the drill. Reviews equals pie and cookies. Good reviews equals your choice of either.

Suggestions also welcome. My muse lost his toga.


	6. Military

**Dead Line Chapter Six**

Okay, welcome to Chapter Six.

To: **krazy-wit-a-k**, thanks for the offer of the video, but it didn't show on the review:(

**Kiba's mewse:** You've been reviewing since the beginning! Thank you/holds pie and cookie party for you/ You don't like the violence do you?

**Youko-Kuroune:** My muse is Edward, do you still want him to have pants? And golly, I can't tell you if he's going to live or die! That's a huge suspense tug in this story! w"Lol

**Tigressimmi:** I like how you're paying so much attention! I didn't think many people would notice Tremblay. And I thought the same thing about Edward. He isn't a superhero. /weird visual of Edward in a superhero costume/

**AkitaFallow:** Ooh, I'm making you like Roy! Eh heh heh.

**Finalfantasys-child:** I think you watch too much Tv. I got two references to Tv shows in one review. Lol kidding!

Onward!

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Alphonse turned down the last hallway remaining on his mental map, his hollow body reverberating his steps in the near-silent wing. He reached for the door handle of Investigations Lab Two, pulling the door open just in time to see Roy come barrelling from the room within, hardly even noticing the seven foot suit of armour's gasp of surprise.

"Colonel!" Alphonse grabbed at the back of the man's uniform as he darted away. "Colonel Mustang!"

The ebony-haired man stopped, his military boots squeaking against the blue-grey linoleum. "Alphonse..." he began, hesitating as if he was unsure whether or not to continue. Alphonse bowed deeply, quickly rushing out his speech. "Colonel, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I just was so scared. Please tell me if you've heard anything about my brother. I'm so sorry!!"

Roy stared for a second, willing the grip some unknown emotion held on his voice box. He spoke, unsuccessful in his attempt, his voice cracking, "He's still captured, and I have to find the next clue of where he is."

"Sir, are you all right? I didn't mean..."

"Talk to Hughes, he'll fill you in on everything." Roy spun on his heel, hurrying down the hall, breaking into a full-out run as he neared the corner. He dashed out of sight, the tails of his uniform flicking behind him as he rounded the corner.

Had Alphonse been human, he would have worry etched into every line of his face. As it was, the steel showed no emotion as he walked into the Lab, to find Hughes on the phone already.

"So you'll check out the backgrounds on all of the victims of this case? Yeah, yeah I'll be here. Okay, thanks Scieszka. Yeah, bye."

Hughes placed the handset back on the phone port, running his fingers through his spiky dark hair. He sighed deeply, opening his eyes slowly to see the familiar suit of armour silhouetting the doorframe.

"Um, Lieutenant Colonel... I want to know what's happening." Alphonse sounded apologetic, as if it was Hughes he had yelled at.

"Sure, Al. Come in here."

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Roy knocked into two officers, a secretary and a nurse on the way back to his office, not even stopping to hastily apologize for his discourtesies, his mind racing ahead of him. He was already in his office, looking desperately for the next clue. Curving widely around the remaining corner, the Colonel reached almost his full stride as he crashed through the entrance of his office.

Two pairs of wide eyes stared, one narrowing to a glare almost instantly.

Hawkeye stood, paperwork already laid out in her arms.

"Has anyone left anything here? A package? Something!! Tell me!" Roy demanded, cutting off Riza's attempt at scolding him for much less important matters.

Havoc indicated a smallish brown box on the corner of his desk, casting his eyes hastily away from the corner of the box, where he had obviously been picking at the packing tape. "There was just this, it came about twenty minutes ago I guess." drawled the dirty-blonde man, chewing on his ever-present cigarette.

"Give it here." Roy snatched the box off the other man's desk, ripping the tape away. Riza placed the paperwork back on the desk, sensing that this certainly was not the time. The Colonel was dishevelled, scattered, something he would never have allowed them to see. Unless he really didn't care at all. Which would indicate something personal.

"Sir, does this have anything to do with the 'big trouble' Edward is in?"

"It has everything to do with it." replied the raven-haired man.

Nervously he groped inside the box, extracting a silver object with obvious difficulty. A pocketwatch hung from his gloved hand, blood shining like rubies inlaid in the cracks and grooves of the State Alchemist insignia. A solitary drop gathered near the bottom, plummeting to the pristine carpet, progress followed by the three officers. It landed with a quiet _pat_, almost a heart-crushing din to the Colonel.

"Uh, what-" Havoc began, but Hawkeye waved him to be quiet.

"Sir, would you care to explain why Edward's pocketwatch is in that box?"

Roy remained silent, peering curiously into the cardboard box, desperate for more of a clue than the fact that Edward was being tortured.

A single piece of paper was folded at the bottom of the box, the anxious Colonel fishing it out. He dropped the box at his feet, unfolding the note with trembling hands.

"Sir, tell me what is going on!" ordered Riza, forgetting her rank out of concern.

The man did not reply, reading the note with tears slowly collecting in his eyes. He blinked them away, regarding his lower officers.

"What is going on?" repeated Hawkeye, taking the note from Roy.

_Dear Colonel,_

_How are you? Your boy isn't fine, not at all anymore. He's tied up like a dog, only fitting. Animal. I don't expect you to understand simple subtleties, so I'll spell in out for you. Where he is is not somewhere you've ever been, but you're going there. A deep dark hole of torture and pain. Hell. I wouldn't _harbour_ any thoughts of actually rescuing him, but another clue is available deeper in your office. Look out for it._

"Sir, is- is Edward–?" Riza began, her cinnamon eyes shining brighter than normal.

"Go to Investigation's Forensic Lab Two, that's where we're trying to find him. Alphonse and Hughes are there."

Havoc and Riza stared, noting the obvious choking in Roy's voice, as he crossed the office and placing his gloved hand on the doorknob.

"Go! Go and help Hughes out! Edward needs us!!" thundered the Colonel, nearly crushing the pocketwatch in his fist. The blood permeated the white of his gloves, brilliant crimson.

The two lower rankings officiators glanced at each other, both severely alarmed at the Colonel's distress. They got up simultaneously, Havoc's unlit cigarette falling from his lips. He snatched the box off the desk, bowing to Roy and hurrying out of the office, pulling Riza in tow. She objected slightly, staring back at Roy, his new behaviour disturbing her.

The mahogany door closed with a formal click, leaving Roy alone in his subordinate's headquarters. He twisted the doorknob to his office, stepping inside, half-expecting to see the clue waiting with a huge neon sign. The location wasn't as obvious, his office looked very normal, as messy and disorganised as it usually was.

He strode to his desk, the first place he thought to look, scanning the surface slowly, taking in the paperwork he had abandoned earlier in the day. He opened the top drawer of his desk, shuffling a few things here and there again looking for anything out of the ordinary. There was only evidence of the small box of candy he had begrudgingly shared with Edward nearly two weeks ago. He smiled, thinking of the carefreeness of those days.

A small thump, barely noticeable by anyone else's standards, sounded from the closet on the left wall. Roy turned his head slightly, closing the drawer cautiously. He narrowed his eyes, staring through the murky half-light of a rainy afternoon. In his haste, he had not turned on a light, the office now blanketed in a dull grey.

Tentatively, he reached through the thick darkness around the closet door, pulling the door open. He turned the handle unnecessarily, it was already ajar. He peered into the blackness, squinting to get a better look.

A piercing shot whirled through his ears, muffled by a silencer, a pain spread out from his neck, he grasped at it with his free hand, feeling what felt like a needle. He seized it, tugging it out of the muscles in his throat, praying it hadn't hit a major artery. No sooner than this thought meandered through his mind, he felt the clarity slip away, his legs going numb.

A slow, throbbing sensation worked its way through his body, enveloping him as he sunk to his knees. He peered through the darkness again, searching desperately for what had attacked him.

"You're moving a little clumsily, Mustang." a voice sounded out of the closet, succeeded by another shot from the silenced gun, throwing another dart of tranquilizer into the Colonel's system. He shuddered, moving his hand up to pull the needle out of his collarbone, sinking to the ground as if the air was made of water.

He stared widely, clinging onto his consciousness in vain, the tranquilizer permeating through him smoothly. Movement shifted the fractional light in the closet, Roy blinked slowly, noticing a standard pair of highly polished military boots emerging from the closet.

A myriad of thoughts flitted through the Colonel's mind, coloured in rainbow hues.

_This man is military, they have a state-issued silencer. You can't get silencers anywhere else. He sounds exactly like the man on the phone. _I can't move.

Muffled slightly by the thin carpet, the boots walked around Roy's collapsed body. He reached forward, determined to snag the person creeping around him, determined to snag another clue at who it was. Gripping the bloodied pocketwatch in his slackening grip, Roy ran a solid thought through his mind, clinging to it for fear he would lose it.

_The man is military. Military._

Roy popped the pocketwatch open, noticing dimly Fullmetal wasn't taking very good care of it. It was scratched roughly on the inside cover, letters or something. The time, it was twenty after four.

_Military... military._

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**8:52 pm**

_Drip. Drip. Ping. Drip. Drip. Ping._

A golden eye slitted oped, unseeing. It worked its way in all directions, taking in the darkness and mutated shadows of the surrounding area. The owner of the golden eye became painfully aware of the fact that he wasn't dreaming any longer. The discomfort of deep and infected wounds was far too harsh a reality for him to mistake it for anything else.

How he wished the steady beat of rain falling would cease. It was like a ticking clock. He wanted to scream, _okay, I don't need to know that you're dripping every damn second!!_ As it was, he had virtually no energy to do anything of the sort, save for glaring intensely through the darkness at where he supposed the noise was coming from.

He realised now that the noise was coming from below him, as he squinted, he saw he was suspended from a shiny material around his wrists, that held him slightly off of the floor. Twisting his wrist experimentally, he concluded the binding was a metallic something or other. A sharp prod of the metal into his wrist confirmed that it was a durable barbed wire, probably taken from inside one of the boxes in the dilapidated warehouse.

It appeared he was the one creating the dripping sound; blood was running off him, he marvelled at the copious amount leaving him at every second. It dripped onto the concrete floor, spreading steadily from its source.

"Well, I'm annoying myself then." thought Ed, shuffling slightly.

A light clicked on, successfully making the teen jump and wince, gasping in pain as the barbed wire dug deeper into his flesh.

"You're finally awake, then?" a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

Cael stepped into view, unable to keep the piteous expression off his face. "I thought you were going to go..."

Edward tried to speak; but what he had been meaning to say came out as a jumbled mess of vowel sounds. Cael shook his head, lowering Edward to the floor by pulling on the top of the barbed wire string that held the blonde like a morbid puppet.

He fell into the puddle of his own blood, unfolding from his awkward cramped position to lay haphazardly cloaked within the crimson fluid.

Cael knelt beside, arranging the teen's splayed limbs in a slightly more comfortable position, hardly significant given the current situation.

"Cael!!" barked a rough voice, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"N-Nothing!"

"Come here and bring this girl in here."

"Okay, X."

Edward closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious as Cael ran back to some unseen area, where a scuffling sound emanated from.

The scuffling sound grew louder as Cael and the other two captors ambled in. Edward remained still, using his ears to discern where they were in the room. The leader was off to his left muttering curses under his breath, Edward's findings greatly corroborated by the fact that he turned yet another light on, probably the one on the table with the phone.

"Mustang should wake up soon. Should we call again?"

A thump of another body landing beside him very nearly made Edward open his eyes just to slake his curiosity. He fought the urge however, listening to the coming conversation.

"No, we will call him after we are sure he's awake. There's nothing I hate more than letting phone ring more than twice."

"Oh right. Well, can we have some..." Blue Shirt lingered for a moment, tasting the word on his lips, "...fun with them until then?"

_Them?_ _There's more than one like me? Is that who-?_

"He's not even awake. How would _that_ be any fun?"

Edward could not contain himself any longer, he opened his auric eyes and glanced to his right, meeting the wide, tear-filled green eyes of a girl he had never seen in his life.

She squeaked, making to move away from him. Apparently she thought he was dead. Blue Shirt looked down, observing the alertness in the blonde's eyes.

"Oh, now he's awake..." Blue Shirt bent down, tapping Edward lightly on the forehead.

"Woof woof. Did you have a nice nap, dog?"

Edward looked around, his golden orbs coming to a rest on the seated form of Tilas, the leader, complete in his sneering with a highly curt and polished military uniform draped over his muscular build.

_He's in the military??_

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Wooo!! That was chapter Six!!! Yeah! OMGM (Oh My Goddess Martel, for those who played Tales of Symphonia, high five) I have averaged a ten review per chapter thing here!! Yeeeeaaahhh!!!

Enter the very rare cookie and pie shower, pay one review and catch as much of the delicious reward as possible!

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	7. Ghost

**Dead Line Chapter Seven**

Whoo! 77 Reviews! Wowee! That's great I love getting feedback from people! Doumo!

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Roy awoke slowly, sitting up and shaking his head. Swirling black clouds edged his vision, he turned his head and discovered he was in his office. He eyed the pocketwatch that lay open, wondering why it was so dark in his office. Lethargically, he tested the mobility of his limbs, nudging the pair of hypodermic needles with his foot.

Shakily, he stood, crossing the carpet and opening the mahogany door, entering into his subordinate's office area. Most of his officers were present, including Havoc, Hawkeye, Fuery, and much to his surprise, Hughes.

"Maes? Shouldn't you be in the Evidence Lab?" wondered Roy, closing the door behind him. "Have we got any closer to finding Edward?"

"Colonel," Lieutenant Hawkeye stepped forward tentatively, placing her hand on his arm. "Maybe you should sit down, sir."

"Why, what's wrong?" he looked around the room; all of the officers avoided his gaze, save for Riza who escorted him to the couch.

"It's nearly one thirty, we... we were too late." she said quietly, sitting down with Roy on the couch.

Shock pierced Roy's heart with a razor sharp spear, plunging deep within his soul. "No, he's not gone, he can't be. You're lying! Where is he?" demanded the Colonel, directing the question at Hughes.

"The morgue. Place 92."

"No, no, no, no, no! Why didn't you wake me up? Why didn't you-?" Tears interrupted his questions, reflecting oddly from the light of the lamp on Fuery's desk. "He's gone? He's gone? That's impossible!! He's too strong, he can't die!"

"He was only human, sir." Riza said bracingly, "But of course, you were too. That's why you allowed yourself to be held back while he died. I wonder if he started to cry like you." She added as an afterthought.

Hughes cut in, "No, Edward's stronger than that. He wouldn't break down over something so small."

"Small as in his death you mean." Havoc laughed, his cigarette jiggling on his lip.

"You shouldn't say 'small' so much when talking about Edward," Hughes countered, grinning broadly.

Roy blinked, tears running down his cheeks. "How can you say that? How can you joke when he's dead?"

"It's not _our_ fault." Riza said matter-of-factly, getting up and dusting off her knees. "Why should we feel upset when you're the one who got him in that situation to begin with?"

"You look upset enough for all of us, you're a mess." commented Hughes, prompting a laugh from all of the people in the room. The onyx-eyed man stood up, bolting for the door, leaving his decimated heart behind as he tried to escape the sounds of his friends' uncaring laughter.

"Edward! I'm sorry!"

"That's not enough to bring me back."

Halting dead in his tracks, Roy came face to face with a semi-transparent form of the blonde teenager.

"Edward, I didn't- I should... I'm so sorry!!" he gasped breathlessly, his lungs ceasing their function.

"And you didn't even say you loved me. You let me die without telling me that. Now I'll never know for sure."

"B-but I do! You know I do!!" 

"Do I? If you loved me, you wouldn't have allowed me to die, would you?"

"I.. couldn't, but I, I love you!"

"But you're too late. Goodbye, Roy."

The ghost of Edward faded away, as the raven-haired man collapsed to his knees, his head in his hands. The black clouds invaded the remainder of his vision, dominating his world in black.

_He's gone._

**9:07 pm**

"Roy!! Wake up!! C'mon!!"

Roy was awoken from his drug-induced slumber by the intensely worried voice of Hughes. The bespectacled man partnered his urgings with simultaneous shakes to the raven haired man's shoulders, hoping to elicit some sort of reaction.

Mumbling groggily, the Colonel opened his eyes, blearily surveying his friend.

"Oh thank the goddess!" breathed Hughes. Breathing deeply, he grabbed Roy's chin and pulled his face closer to his own. "Roy can you hear me? Nod if you can."

Roy nodded slowly, his head bobbing as if he were underwater. His eyes were glazed over, Hughes was sure Roy was convinced he was still asleep. He was crying, salty tracks working over the side of his face.

"Edward?" the semi-conscious man slurred, his head lolling from its place in the crook of his friend's arm.

"No, Roy, Roy it's me. Wake up. Come on."

The Colonel sat bolt upright, "Where! What time is it?" his words mixed together, barely intelligible to the green-eyed man.

"It's a little after nine. What happened to you?"

"I'm fine, I want to know about Edward, do you know where he is yet?"mumbled Roy, discovering he could speak slightly.

"We commenced the investigation under new management in Forensic Lab Four. With the help of Scieszka, we have located four possible locations of where Edward might be. We're hoping to narrow it down to three, but, as things stand now, we may have to deploy four search teams to each area."

Roy felt his protests bubble up inside him, locked internally by the slackness of his jaw. Why weren't they looking now? This didn't have to be like the movies, where they find the victim moments before his time was up! They should do all they can to find him as soon as possible! Why are they waiting?

The bespectacled man noticed the set tenseness Roy's features took, furrowing his brow. "Roy what happened to you? Who did this?"

"Milutury... he was military." He sat up, continuing, "Has anyone called yet? Another clue?"

"Well, there were the pretty obvious hypodermic needles we found on the floor beside you. I'd say that's a helluva clue to finding who shot you."

"I mean about Edward." Even in the thick drawl of his voice, Hughes could hear the shakiness of his friend's voice when he spoke the teen's name.

"Not since the package you got earlier."

"How'd you..?"

"Lieutenant Hawkeye told me about the package you received. And about the pocketwatch, which-" Hughes looked to the familiar watch on the ground, stuck to the thin fibers of the rug by the blood that was now congealed and dry. It was still open, revealing Edward's engraving.

_Don't forget, 3, Oct. 10._

"October third? That's tomorrow, isn't it?" Hughes wondered aloud, hardly expecting Roy to reply.

"Yes, that's the day he burnt down his house."

Hughes was silent for a few moments, "Where does he go after something like this? He doesn't have a home. That's what he needs now, Roy, a home and someone to love him. You know what that means."

"Yes, I do. I will find him. And I'm going to be there for him whether I deserve it or not."

"That's the spirit. Now, can you get up?" Hughes shifted underneath Roy, moving his knees out of the small of his back and grabbing him under the arms, precariously standing him up.

"We have to..." Roy began, stepping forward and stumbling slightly.

"Whoa, hey. You're still fighting off a paralytic drug, you don't have to be all gung-ho about doing that walking thing just yet."

"I'm awake now, I have to see what you guys figured out."

Hughes held Roy's waist, leading him out of the office. "Okay, to Lab Four then."

Roy clung to the shoulder of Hughes' uniform, the laughter of his dream ringing in his ears as tears stung the midnight surfaces of his eyes.

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**9:04 pm**

_He's in the military??_

"Do you know who I am, Fullmetal?" the leader said, examining his numerous bars of military ranking that adorned his uniform.

Edward remained silent, drinking in the sight of him, studying his features closely, desperately trying to remember anyone who looked like him. His name tag said Tremblay, that made sense, he was Cael Tremblay's uncle.

"I take that as a no?"

"M-military... this was an inside job..." The blonde mumbled, tasting his words with a marinade of blood.

"Sure, didn't take much. I guess being a General gets me a few perks in getting that bastard for good." Tremblay tapped his name plate, "Too bad you didn't much attention to your higher ups, you might be able to tell who I am."

"Doesn't matter," grunted Edward, wincing as he spoke, becoming more aware of his body than he had ever been. He was naked again, this time he couldn't see any article of his clothing.

He looked over, rolling his eyesight to the right to look at the girl who was taken in. She was spared at least a little prudishness, her clothes ripped and dirty but mostly intact. At least she wasn't naked, thought Ed, hardly caring anyway. She looked pointedly away from him, tears spilling over her closed eyes.

'I remember that stage...' he thought, 'Fear, but still the wish that someone would save you. I hope she gets saved.'

"Oh, the new girl... Hmm, what shall we do with you?" General Tilas Tremblay moved his chair back, standing up and sighing with mock-exertion.

"It's almost no fun having two at once. It's like they've got a team."

Cael shifted uncomfortably, biting his lip.

Blue Shirt, informally known as X, crouched down beside Edward, brushing his hair from the open wounds on his face.

"I'd like to play with this one, if it's all the same."

Tremblay shrugged, indicating the girl. "She can watch, I have a phone call to make. Cael!" The suddenly addressed teen jumped, "Tie her up over against those boxes. Make it so she has to watch X have his playtime. Hold her eyes open if you have to."

Shaking, Cael, lifted the girl from under the arm, half-walking, half-dragging her to the boxes that were to become her hanging wall.

Edward squeezed his eyes shut, his teeth clenched as X ran off to find his 'toys'. Interestingly, his tongue could fit into the little space where his tooth was missing. He felt the raw, open sore where a tooth had recently vacated, semi-amused by the tiny suction offered by the space.

The barbed wire was becoming exceedingly bothersome, every time he moved even slightly, it would cut him more. The rope treatment was being applied to the girl now, heaven forbid she should try to escape, this metal was nearly unbearable as restraints.

Cael was whispering words to the girl, no doubt more hollow plans for their escape, beautiful pictures of freedom painted by the tainted brush of doubt in the teen's voice.

The girl seemed to believe him, as Edward had done earlier.

"Hello, may I speak to Colonel Mustang? This is in regard to a case he is working on. Thanks, you're a dear."

X came back at that point, carrying an odd assortment of needles and knives, and interrupting Edward's eavesdropping.

"I like these." he said simply, placing them on the floor beside his victim. He looked eagerly over to Tremblay, his eyes alight with eager anticipation. The leader shook his head fractionally as he listened to the speaker on the other line.

"You want to speak to him then? Okay, you asked for it!" Sadistically jovial, the military man stood up and carried the phone over to where Edward lay in his sticky blood bed. The handset was placed next to him, where he could hear the broken, frantic sound of Roy's voice calling his name.

_What could I say? What should I say? I'm going to die, what do I want him to know? That I... Yes, he should know that. I have to tell him that before I die. He has to know._

"R-Roy? You know l l-love you, right?" he breathed, silencing the cries. They began again after a short pause, but the handset was quickly taken away from his face as the leader stomped back to the desk, yelling into the phone.

"There! He admitted it! He loves you, and so- he- has- to- pay- the- price!" he bellowed, roaring each word individually. He waved for X to commence his joyous activity, lowering his voice so Edward could not hear.

A needle plunged into the supple muscle of Edward's upper arm, freezing into steel as whatever was in it surged into his system.

He shook uncontrollably, as the 'poison' as he supposed it, spread through his bloodstream. The girl screamed, trying to shield her eyes, as X busied himself with a knife, skinning the flesh off the front of Edward's shin, as if he were peeling a carrot. The knife worked its way through his flesh fluidly, cutting nearly down to the bone.

Edward joined in the peals of vociferation, the warehouse a chorus of screams. The tears matched as the boy felt, and the girl watched the pain X was inflicting on the blonde's immobilized form..

Tremblay hung up the phone, after saying one more thing, spitting out his distaste.

"Reverted to screaming and crying like we already had him. Weak son of a bitch." He placed his hands on the back of the chair, letting the melodic sound of screams permeate through his mind, breathing deeply through his nose.

He turned to view the scene before him, smiling as Edward quivered on his deathbed. The severed piece of skin cut of by X landed on the concrete with a wet splat that made the girl cringe away, her eyes tight shut and head turned away. Cael had his hand on her shoulder, looking for all the world as if he were restraining her. In truth it was a supportive gesture.

A slick sheen of sweat shone on Edward's face, he lay completely still.

"That's for what that bastard Mustang said to me. It's his fault you're in pain right now. And then you say you _love him_? You both make me sick! And you!" He rounded on the girl who stared at him through horrified green eyes. "You know Roy Mustang?"

She nodded, too scared for any other response.

"It's his fault you're here! When you dated that sick freak, you were marked as a target! Roy Mustang is going to come here, and he will die! I just told him the final clue! And I know he's got a crack team of 'investigators' helping him out! I'll kill them too!"

Tremblay had been moving progressively closer to Edward's body, and was now shouting down at him. "You're dead, Edward Elric." he said in a monotone.

_I know._

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So, readers. Review for more story, pie and cookies, and to be nice!

Love and kisses,

meganekko.

Ps. I made my Edward-muse a new toga. lol


	8. Abyss

**Dead Line Chapter Eight- Abyss**

Really people. These reviews are stunning! Thank you so much! Forgive me for not thanking you all individually, because I don't have the Internet and its hard to comment to everyone when total time on the Internet at school is about five minutes. (Just long enough to post a new chapter!) Anyway, moving along.

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Tremblay had been moving progressively closer to Edward's body, and was now shouting down at him. "You're dead, Edward Elric." he said in a monotone.

_I know._

A twitch had developed on the General's left eye, as he desperately wanted to kill the blonde teen, to forget about his manic obsessive compulsive disorder and murder him there, to see Mustang's face when he arrived and saw the dead body of his lover.

He turned away, growling under his breath.

"He's going to pay for it, for killing her..." he raised his voice, announcing to everyone present. "Schedule's been moved up. Mustang is on his way here. Given his current location and the traffic right now, he will be here in twenty minutes."

Edward screamed inwardly, praying for his thoughts to be amplified in Roy's mind. _Don't come here, Roy, you'll die too. I don't want you to die!_

"Woof woof, little dog. Your master is coming for you now. He's going to kill you both. Woof woof, heh heh." X whispered joyously, patting Edward's bruised forehead.

"Now, for a little entertainment of my own..." Tilas strode toward the terrified girl, drawing a long serrated knife from his belt. He knelt down beside her, smiling gently, "You're going to be Mustang's final clue of the fate of _that._" He indicated Edward's still-immobile form. "Aren't you lucky?"

He moved forward with the knife, making to slice at her stomach.

"No!" Cael yelled, knocking the knife away from his uncle's hand. It clattered to the floor and skidded along the tainted concrete, coming to a rest beside X's knee. As the insanely happy man picked up the knife from beside him, the enraged bellow of the General filled the high-ceilinged warehouse.

He struck Cael across the face with his thick fist, knocking the brunette to the floor. In the same fluid motion Tilas reached for the girl's throat, constricting his hand around it as he had done to Edward with the collar earlier. She squirmed, wiggling her right hand free and punched him in the stomach with all of her strength. He released her enough that she broke away, utilizing the fact that her legs were untethered to dart away, foolishly running across the room to where Edward and X were located, where she supposed the exit was.

Lazily, the General pulled out a gun, a real one, not the standard tranquilizer he had been previously equipping himself with. A shot rang out and the girl was felled, stopped by a bullet hole below her right shoulder blade. She collapsed on top of Edward, staring into his very shocked golden eyes.

He felt her warm blood flow all over him, mixing with his own. It spurted from her mouth as she tried to speak, hitting the boy in the right bruised eye.

"I'm Teresa Dumon. Tell m-my family... I l-love them..."

Edward stared blankly, his mouth agape as he tried to speak but couldn't.

"Please!" she raised her voice slightly, green eyes boring into golden. More blood gushed from her mouth, running between the aurum haired teen's lips. He nodded, coughing as the blood trickled to the back of his throat.

Teresa looked as if she were going to say something else, but collapsed, her eyes sliding from the light as she slumped on top of him, her dead weight nearly crushing the mortified teen. X continued smiling gleefully, grabbing her wrist and rolling her off Edward's body. Her glass-like eyes stared blankly ahead, open and unblinking.

"One down," grinned the General standing up and eying his nephew. "_Two_ to go."

Cael gasped, shuffling backward, running into a crate. "No, please, don't. Uncle, please!"

"Be quiet!" roared Tilas, brandishing the gun at the blonde teenager, his voice lowering dangerously, "Kill him."

Cael looked at Edward, tears filling his eyes.

"Kill him or you'll die too. X, move. This is Cael's job."

X grinned broadly, standing up and handing the long serrated knife to the youngest of the trio. "Have fun." he commented, moistening his thin lips.

Thunder cracked somewhere overhead.

The brunette teen knelt down beside Edward, positioning the knife over his throat, just below the collar. It skipped in the boy's hand, nicking the flesh. "Can you move yet?" he asked.

Edward tested his limbs, realizing that the poison had worn off. Nodding slightly, he gazed imploringly into the older teen's eyes, wondering if this was it. Would he die here? By the hand of the one who had promised him freedom?

"You clapped your hands," whispered Cael, lifting the knife up slowly, looking as if he were going to bring it down and end the blonde's life. X and Tilas watched from across the room in delighted anticipation.

_That was true, I clapped my hands before and I didn't do anything. There it is, I can feel the energy, is that why this doesn't hurt as much as it should? It must be, the charged power of the Gate, it's sustaining me? Yeah, I would have bled out by now. _

Absently, Edward began diagnosing himself, calculating how many times he would have probably died in the past few hours had he not done the simple act of clapping his hands. The charge inside him seemed to surge at his realization of its existence, threatening to break out of him and course through the entire world.

He concentrated the energy into the palms of his hands, pausing for am moment to bask in its beautiful warmth, before releasing it onto the barbed wire holding him down. The wire snaked upward, colored in electric blue light, and snagged the knife from the brunette's hand, shooting it forward and stabbing into the side of a thick wooden crate nearly halfway across the room, quivering in the wood beside X's head.

Edward sat up, pushing the stunned teen to the ground with a soft push of his automail. The energy from his hands spread out over his flesh, coloring every abrasion and cut with a bright white light. It was as if his very blood was charged with power, reverting from red to white.

Roaring in anger, Tilas stormed forward, holding the gun aloft. He took quick aim, squeezing the trigger. The bullet warped through the air, tearing the waves of energy the blonde was emitting, on a straight line course for the middle of his forehead.

It struck his aura, drilling through the white light, determined to crack the bone, split the flesh, end his life. Edward closed his eyes, using alchemy and breaking down the components of the bullet into several small pieces of metal, which fell to the concrete, unharming and useless.

He stood, fading slightly as the energy overexerted itself in the halting of the bullet. The two older men were momentarily stunned, a sort of reverential awe rising up in them as they viewed the sheer power emanating off the teen. Opening his eyes again, Edward gazed at them, the glow disappearing entirely.

X rushed forward, the knife held above his head as he made to cut the boy down. Suppressing a scream, Edward clapped his hands once again, ducking under the knife's arc and placing his hands on X's torso. An image of a dark man with a scar across his forehead flitted across his mind's eye, as he deconstructed the makeup of the man's body.

Accompanying the sickly sound of multiple flesh wounds, the spatter of blood bouncing off the blonde teen rang across the room. Cael gasped, his eyes widening as he watched the decimated body fall to the floor with a thump.

Tilas eyed his watch, pursing his lips as he drew something from inside his pocket. Speedily, a knife unfolded before him, and before Edward could react, it hurtled through the air and stuck almost the entire length of the blade into Cael's lower back. The brunette gasped again, his face slackening as he looked round at his uncle.

The General ran, not looking back, and obviously feeling no remorse for his severely injured nephew, who collapsed onto the floor beside Teresa. Edward winced, the support offered by the energy dissipated completely; the pain began registering in his brain, making him cry out again, for lack of anything else to do.

_I have to get out of here, _he thought urgently, _I can't be here. _

Clenching his teeth tightly to refrain from yelling out again, the blonde limped towards the outside door, once again disregarding the fact that he was completely naked, and stepped outside, into the rain he was not aware of until this point.

It came down in semi-gentle drops, somewhat numbing the compounding pain over his wounds. It was so cold. Maybe it would turn to snow.

He trudged down the alley, the fetid smell mostly covered up by the rain. It permeated into his system, creating a strong sense of nausea deep in his stomach.

_I killed him! _Visions of the man exploding before his eyes, coupled with the sickly smell of rot overwhelmed his system, forcing him to his knees and causing him to vomit all over the alleyway ground. The sick landed in an already existing puddle, splattering in the rain.

The water of the heavens ran through his hair, washing away the accumulated blood and grime from the warehouse, sweat disguising itself as raindrops.

_Roy, where are you? He said you were coming, I'm going to find you... I need to know something from you..._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A military car was parked one block away, engine running, headlights on and door open. A perfect opportunity for any thief.

The Colonel raced down the street with such ferocity, the rain seemed to part for him to pass. The few drops that failed to get out of his way ran down his face, cooling the flushed skin as he tore down the alleyways. A shop called Woodrow's loomed up before him, a silhouette in the rainstorm.

A flashlight jiggled in his hand, illuminating every splintered vision in the rain with multifaceted light. He darted around the shop, breaking into his all-out stride again, as he hurriedly looked ahead, seeing the side of the warehouse that could be his destination.

He reached the end of the intersecting alley, casting his flashlight left and right frantically, looking for an entrance to the gargantuan building before him. A door was slightly ajar, letting a dull bit of light flow into the rain.

_This must be it. _

He darted inside, tension building up a stone wall around his heart, constricting it. He looked over the various crates, shining his flashlight over them in his search. There was nothing of consequence until he reached what he figured to be the middle of the warehouse.

The stinging metallic smell of blood greeted him there, as did the crimson stains. Three bodies lay amidst the scarlet puddle, a man, a boy, and a girl, all haphazardly strewn in the blood. The man looked ripped apart, as if he had been devoured by wild animals.

The boy twitched, clutching at the hilt of a knife which was protruding from his back. Roy raced forward, kneeling down.

"Are you all right?" he asked hurriedly, placing his hand over the boy's, helping to staunch the flow of blood.

"I dunno," the brunette teen stared at Roy, "You're Mustang?"

"How do you know...?" began the Colonel, cutting himself off, "It doesn't matter, is there a phone nearby?"

The boy looked toward a table, tilting his chin towards it.

Roy got up, looking briefly at the other body in the room, a young woman. She was frozen, her eyes locked open. Dead.

The Flame Colonel picked up the phone, dialing three commonly known numbers. 911. After a solitary ring, the call was answered, and after hurriedly rattling off the address and his request for an ambulance, Roy slammed the phone down, rushing back to the teenager's side.

"Have you seen another boy about your age? He's blonde, and has automail limbs?" The inherent pleading in his voice made the teenager smile softly.

"Edward Elric, right? He went out the back door. He escaped about five minutes ago... go find him. He's hurt. Really badly." At this the brunette sighed, his hand slackening the grip over his wound. "Hurry."

Roy stood up, his boot sliding somewhat in the puddle of blood as he ran towards the 'back door' the boy had indicated, fear jumping in his chest, spreading its noxious symptom through all his limbs, making him feel as if were made of metal. Fleetingly, he wondered if this was what is what it was like to have automail. Your body was usable, but numb.

The back door was open too, leading into the dark abyss of the outside air. It was as if the darkness was surveying him for something, like there were eyes watching him in the infinite black. Look into the abyss and the abyss looks into you.

He stepped into the rain, it neglected to move for him, instead drenching him almost instantly.

"Edward!!" he yelled into the abyss, his words swallowed by the unending ebony. "EDWARD!!"

An indistinct sound murmured from somewhere beyond, Roy shone his flashlight down the alleyway, swinging it here and there, his eyes accompanying it as it focused on different parts of the way.

Another burst of running and he was nearing the end of yet another alley.

"Help me..." a tiny voice whimpered, from somewhere to his left. He turned the flashlight towards it, squinting at what was thrown into view. The flashlight slipped from his slackened grip, crashing to the alleyway ground and rolling, shining on the pair.

Edward was huddled against a muddy brown wall, his arms wrapped around his knees. He was naked, each cut, bruise and abrasion contrasting morbidly vividly against his ivory skin. He stared upward at the military man, blinking laboriously. "Roy... you came..." his voice was higher than usual, on the verge of breaking.

Roy felt a different kind of rain flood his eyes, splashing in time with the tears of the sky. He rushed forward, holding Edward close to himself, willing some of the blonde's discomfort into himself, determined to help carry the burden. He busily unfastened the front of his jacket with one hand, letting his other hand seep some amount of warmth into Edward's exposed back. After shrugging out of his thick blue uniform top, Roy wrapped the pre-warmed fabric around the shivering teen's shoulders.

"I killed a man, Roy... I just... killed h-him..." the teen's voice shattered, each fragment of it transmuting themselves into tears which were forced from his eyes, partnered with loud, shuddering cries. "An, and she died! I c-c-couldn't s-save her! She died looking me in the eyes!!"

"Shh... shh, baby. It's okay now. It's okay." The Colonel began rocking back and forth, holding the sobbing blonde in his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm here."

The sobbing ceased suddenly, the weight Roy was supporting increasing.

_Oh no..._

"Edward! Edward! Wake up! Don't die!" A white-hot knife stabbed into Roy's heart, branding it with terror.

The teen made no response, silent and still within his love's arms. He took in several shallow irregular breaths, very nearly choking. A sudden burst of procedure broke through Roy's mind, making him recall his military first aid training. Hastily, he looked over the boys throat and neck, finding an irregularity among the clotted blood.

A thick sturdy collar was tightened to the extreme around his windpipe, hindering his breathing drastically. It was saturated with blood, from what looked like multiple lacerations around it. Roy's eyes went wide in fury, he reached forward and gingerly unfastened the buckle, moving the collar away from Edward's skin. Unintentionally, he peeled some semi-healed skin and congealed blood away from the boy's neck, which should have made him cry or react in some way. Unless he was already...

"No! Edward! Wake up!" Roy drew away from him, holding the boy's limp form by the shoulders. Edward's head lolled back, his mouth slightly agape. "Fullmetal, wake up! Your commanding officer just gave you an order! Please! Don't...go."

"Thas m'orders?" Edward slurred, his auric eyes a slit on his pale face, the right eye shut due to the swelling of the bruise.

"I order you not to die!"

"Okay..." whispered Edward.

A siren split the air, followed by lights.

Edward lurched, burying his face in Roy's shirt front, surprised by the sudden noise, cringing immediately after. A splinter of rib punctured though the heavily bruised skin surrounding it, opening the dam to let the blood go, at this point unbeknowst by the Colonel.

A mix of emotions erupted into an all-out melee in the blonde's mind; relief at being found, lingering terror from the torture, the incessant feeling of pain _everywhere._

And he was gone. No words reaching him as he sunk into the abyss of his mind.

It looks into you.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

OMGM!!! This gave me the wiggins like you wouldn't believe!!! -shudders- I had to go back and edit for spelling about four times!

Review please so I don't go into cardiac arrest here. I'm all shaky and everything. --"

Love and shaky kisses,

meganekko


	9. Autumn

**Dead Line Chapter Nine- Autumn**

Note: Started before Chapter Eight was posted. I got a really huge surge of inspiration this weekend.

AND OH MY GODDESS MARTEL I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!!!! ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN!! YOU GUYS ARE MY HEROES AND I LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER!! AND IF ANYONE IS READING THIS IN THE FUTURE AND FEELING LEFT OUT CAUSE THEY WEREN'T ONE OF THE FIRST REVIEWERS, I LOVE YOU TOO, JUST FOR GOOD MEASURE, BUT NOW I'M BABBLING SO I'LL MOVE ON TO THE STORY BECAUSE IT'S MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN THIS UNLESS I STARTED TALKING ABOUT MY NUDEY EDWARD MUSE WHO HAS RECENTLY LOST HIS TOGA AGAIN. BUT THAT'S BESIDES THE POINT.

R and R for pie and cookies!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A hot burst of blood spurted out of Edward's side, blossoming into a dark flower on the deep blue of Roy's jacket. The teen fell forward into Roy's arms, his body going into shock.

"Colonel!! Colonel Mustang, where are you?!" Voices, succeeded by more lights sounded down the alley.

"Here!! Help!!" Roy clutched Edward's sporadic form close to himself, his hand held tightly against the blonde's head, preventing it form jerking too much. "Help me!! Hurry up!" Like Edward's, Roy's voice cracked and broke, strangling his words.

Hughes and Hawkeye jogged to Roy' side, the latter dropping to the Colonel's side and quickly checking over the teen's wounds. He had ceased the seizure-like movements, his little strength overexerted.

"We need another ambulance!!" she yelled back at the crowd, someone nodded and departed. "Get me a blanket, now!"

A few brief moments passed, when Fuery came puffing down the alley, with a large umbrella and a thick brown blanket. Riza took the wool blanket from him without a word, wrapping it around both the Colonel's and the teen's shoulders.

Hughes placed his hand on his friend's arm, tugging just enough to signal they had to stand. The Colonel stood as slowly as he could muster, determined not to cause the teen any more unnecessary discomfort. He carried the injured blonde in his arms bridal style, supporting his neck and head carefully. The blanket fell forward, covering Edward up in a fabric cave next to Roy's torso. The small team of military personnel made it to the end of the alley, where the rest of the search team was gathered, opaque forms against the light of the various vehicles and flashlights.

Even in his unconscious stupor, Edward nuzzled his face into the base of Roy's neck, hiding his eyes from the brightness and noise. It was warm close to the Colonel's body, even in the icy rain that surrounded them. Blood soaked through the blanket, staining Roy's white dress shirt, and flecking the deep blue of his pants an intense purple. Noticing the steadily flowing blood with a slightly panicked expression, Hughes held the umbrella over the group as they made their way to the paramedics

Two people in medical uniforms came forward, attempting to take Edward from the raven-haired man's arms; he resisted, hesitant to give him up to anyone else.

"Sir..." Riza placed her hand on his arm, much like she had in his dream earlier that night. He glanced sideways at her, his eyebrows furrowing inward as his face mirrored his emotion. Reluctantly, he released Edward into the very careful hands of the two paramedics. Immediately, the teen began to stir, his face shifting from a semi-calm expression to one of pure agony.

"D-don't leave me..." he mumbled, inhaling the scent of Roy's jacket, which was still wrapped around him. Charcoal and sweat, mingled with the rain. His fingers dragged down Roy's forearm, sending chills near down to the marrow.

The first paramedic, a matronly looking woman, stepped aside as they placed Edward on the gurney, allowing Roy to come forward and hold his hand.

Edward seemed to relax at this, a peaceful expression softening his marred face. Suddenly, Riza gasped in angry shock, her hand clapping over her mouth, and eyes wide. She pointed to Edward's chest, the rest of the group following an invisible line off the tip of her finger to see what she was pointing at.

A spike of bone protruded from a pulsating aura of blood, the crimson fluid dripping steadily from its source. It jutted from the flesh approximately an inch below the automail port, blood translucent over the steel.

The paramedics decided this was the time to cart Edward into the ambulance, ushering the rest of the crowd back. The matronly looking paramedic fitted an oxygen mask over the teen's mouth and nose, readying a unit to respirate him. The other medic employed himself in injecting a shot of painkiller into Edward's upper arm, motioning for Roy to get into the ambulance with them.

Hawkeye slammed the door shut, pounding twice on the back to signal the driver that they should go.

Watched by an infuriated General, the ambulance sped off towards the hospital, sirens blaring.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**12:14 pm**

"--lacerations to the wrists and ankles-- must have been restrained-- serious avulsion to the right leg-- venous hemorrhaging to the arms, legs, and torso-- several puncture wounds to the upper arm-- unknown poisons-- must have been brutally tortured."

Murmurs of doctor's sentences staged a ballet in Roy's mind, each dancing thought accompanied by foreboding music and theatrics. Each act was another equally abhorrent fact to the teen's injuries, save for the curtain call, a statement from the latest doctor in Edward's diagnosis and surgery, which surpassed them all.

"Evidence of sexual assault-- possibly numerous times--"

The Colonel clutched his hair, his head dropping onto his knees in the hospital chair. Red rimmed eyes greeted yet another stream of tears, something they were not unfamiliar with in the past few hours.

"--possibly numerous times--"

He sobbed into his gloved hands, the pyrotex cloth slightly warmer than their surroundings evaporating the tears. It was all his fault! The reason Edward was kidnapped, tortured, _raped._ He wrapped his arms around his stomach, suppressing the urge to vomit as his thoughts pictured exactly what must have happened.

"--evidence of sexual assault--"

"Edward, Edward, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry! So so sorry!" Rocking back and forth, the Colonel squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the images his brain was supplying. They didn't have to fabricate the screams; those had stuck with him since first hearing them on the phone.

--Stop it! Get off me!!

At that moment on the phone, he had never imagined that was what was happening. Or maybe he had, deep in his heart of hearts he was thinking of the worst possible things that could ever befall someone, and in some unexplainable phenomena, they had transpired.

"It's all my fault, it should have been me. Why wasn't it me??" he demanded of nobody in particular. A nurse from across the room, who had been eyeing him nervously, came over, with a small pill and a paper cup of water.

"Sir, Mr. Elric's doctor will be out shortly, the surgery is going very well. If you would..?" She handed the pill to Roy, he popped it in his mouth without question and took the water, swallowing a generous quantity to wash down the pill.

The nurse seemed satisfied with this, returning to the room just past the waiting room. Roy watched as she appeared to be speaking to someone; she looked his way, and shook her head to whatever question the unknown person was asking. Almost immediately, the Colonel felt the effects of the little white pill, his headache and his worry lessening.

He wondered vaguely if he would pass out, no one with such things to worry about should even conceive the thought of being this calm. He watched in quiet observation as the nurse came back and gently took him by the arm, leading him down the hallway.

As he approached the place where the nurse had been talking to the unknown person, he came nearly face to face with a tall doctor.

The doctor was bald, sweat shining on his crown; thick square glasses perched on his nose, speckled with what appeared to be blood. Upon closer inspection, it was, and it also dusted his smock and coat. A queasy feeling grew deep within Roy's stomach, as he realized that it was Edward's blood, crimson and staining.

"You are Edward Elric's guardian?" questioned the doctor, looking over to the nurse, who handed him a clipboard.

"Y-yes..." Roy said, questions broiling on his tongue.

The doctor seemed to notice this, "My name is Doctor Thomas, I was in charge of young Mr. Elric's surgery. I can answer any questions you might have. Step into my office for a moment." He smiled at the brunette nurse, "Maily, could you go make sure Mr. Elric is comfortable? He's in Room 212."

Roy had half a mind to run for Room 212, but maintained his composure. It was at this point on the topic of his composure that he became aware of the still-wet tear tracks on his face. He hastily brushed them away as the doctor opened a thick wooden door and stepped inside, motioning Roy to a comfortable looking chair in front a sturdy brown desk.

He sat, his eyes watching the doctor carefully as he shuffled around his desk, rummaging through a pile of pens to find that worked. At last he found one, a blue capped pen that seemed to write with black ink.

"So, in the interest of candour, may I ask what Mr. Elric's middle name is?" Dr. Thomas questioned abruptly, not looking at Roy.

"Uh, it's Autumn." answered the Colonel, hardly seeing how that had any inclination toward the point of the problem.

"Ah, that's right. I had to certify you had a personal relationship with this boy."

"Why?"

"I don't think he is very readily going to trust the military right now."

At Roy's nonplussed look, he elaborated.

"Throughout the surgery, he continued to insist the people who had done this to him were military, a General something, he couldn't say the name. Eventually he became so hysterical we had to sedate him." Doctor Thomas paused, taking in Roy's expression, "Aside from that, the surgery went very well. Of course, he's very sore right now, and won't be on his feet for some time. I expect he will need hospital supervision for at least a week, and outpatient care for a month. That is, emotional care."

"Outpatient care?" Roy sounded almost hopeful, the doctor caught the subtle tone.

"Yes, he will need constant care and supervision from a responsible parent or guardian, which means you, Colonel Mustang." Dr. Thomas scribbled diligently away on the clipboard, ending his movements with a large flourish. "I trust you have no objections?"

"No sir." the raven-haired man said a little too quickly.

"Please sign here then." Thomas held out the clipboard, the pen held under his thumb. Roy took them, and after quickly scanning the nearly illegible handwriting, followed by what he could only imagine to be the doctor's signature, he signed on the small pinstripe line at the bottom. He took a split second to compare his own curvy narrow script to the doctor's chicken scratch, feeling very pleased with himself.

"Now, let's go see your Autumn, as you so obviously want to." smiled the bald man, leading the way out of the office. Roy hurried along in his wake, the worry seeming to conquer whatever effects the drug had taken.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**Room 212**

Edward awoke slowly, and instantaneously felt fear rush up inside him, a bull given free reign from the tethers of unconsciousness to run rampant on his now-aroused body. Even without the electronic beeping of the heart monitor that was now attached to him, he would have been fully aware of the almost dangerous speed his heart was beating.

_Calm down, calm down. You'll just hurt yourself more. Just breathe--_

Breathing now came with a question. _I'm not breathing on my own. I know I'm not._ _So what's--_

A plastic tube ran from his lips to a machine that would periodically flash a small green light and another restoring gasp of air would rush into him, saturated with oxygen. He felt the coolness of the machine air begin in the middle of his chest, alerting him that there was a tube running down his throat as well.

Another roll of fear swept over him, giving him pins and needles all down his flesh, which was now covered in bandages and swathed in thick soft blankets. They were pink and yellow, and made of some ultra-soft fabric. He shifted slightly, pulling on several tubes that were sticking out of his left elbow, which had been popped back into place, granting it mobility. There were three tubes, one was red, and the other two were clear.

The heart monitor continued to escalate.

Experimentally, he lifted his automail, smiling as he deemed it fully functional. At least he could do something while he was lying here. There weren't any books in this room, it was sterile, trying to keep him healthy. He lifted his metallic arm up, bringing it to his face. Judging by the slightly unfamiliar textures, he guessed the right side of his face was heavily bandaged, and there was a patch on his right eye. He tested the shutter ability of his right eye, deciding it was impossible after much difficulty.

Sufficiently calm at the usage of one of his limbs, (the automail leg was hard to say anything for, it was piled underneath the multitude of blankets) Edward's heart slowed to a only slightly high pace, coming into consistency at a steady rapid pace.

Vaguely, he wondered if anyone knew he was awake. He couldn't call for anyone, thanks to this obnoxious tube down his throat.

_Don't call life-saving devices obnoxious._ He admonished himself, his chest rising from the unfamiliar machine. A plan brewing in his mind, he reached high with his good arm, looking for anything he could transmute into some form of amusement. His hand closed around a bunch of things, which he quickly released upon gathering they originated on his right side, where, even amidst the painless murk of drugs, he felt some glimmer of discomfort. Two thick sturdy tubes ran out of the pinkish red flesh, about an inch underneath his automail port.

The next grab for something yielded positive results, his hand coming back with a handful of small papers he only supposed were used for little notes to doctors and patients. Straining somewhat, he clapped his hand, touched each little paper he laid out on his heavily bandaged chest and transformed them into tiny perfect cranes. They fluttered above him, coming to a rest on the small table beside the respiration machine.

"It doesn't count if you don't fold them by hand you know." A deep voice sounded from the doorway, followed by a rush of white and black cloth and a blur of steel grey. Armour clanked and military boots clicked as the two elated visitors witnessed Edward's awakening.

"Brother, you're finally awake!! I was so scared you weren't going to wake up!!" Alphonse cried, sounding as if he were going to burst into tears, even in the armour.

Edward managed a half smile, the other side covered by bandages and the respiration device. He shook his head slightly, tossing his feathery bangs from his usable eye.

_Damn it, I made Al cry._

"Edward..." Roy began, words failing him. He looked strangely normal and less aloof when he was in a plain white dress shirt and black slacks, Edward noted, an odd sensation bubbling in the cavern of his heart. That wretched heart monitor registered it, beeping faster.

Roy knelt down abruptly, resting his head on the edge of Edward's mattress. He spoke in a low voice, thick with suppressed emotion.

"I'm so sorry Edward. This is all my fault. I deserved this, not you. Please, please forgive me..." Edward's eye widened, the golden dominating as he stared at the bent form of the Colonel.

Slowly, he lifted his automail arm again, moving it over and placing it on the top of Roy's head, the only comfort he could give the man now. Roy looked up almost instantly, his midnight eyes clouded with rain. They locked with the celestial star that was Edward's iris, communication sent across the heavens between them. Fractionally, Edward nodded his head, closing off the visual link to Roy.

To anyone else, the scene before them may have seemed somewhat comical, a man quivering with silenced tears being pat on the head as if he were some precarious five-year old by the youthful looking teen, who was lying on a hospital bed, frail and broken. The fragile and weak comforting the supposedly strong.

Alphonse looked on in quiet observation, seeing the bond between the two as he never had before. There was love there. As Roy slumped his shoulders, resting his head against the side of the mattress, and began to cry, Alphonse noted the gentle reassurance Edward's steel fingers held as they worked their way over the locks of raven hair. Silver on ebony.

"I'm sorry!!" choked Roy, his words warped and strange through the tears. Alphonse felt like crying too, never anticipating Roy to be the one to break down after what had happened. Indeed, his natural sympathy urged him to comfort the man, cry with him. He didn't however, shrinking back in the shadows and watching the pair. He calmly sat on a sturdy bench against the far wall, waiting.

Edward moved his fingers down the front of Roy's hair, dragging the cool metal across his forehead. Another shiver ran down Mustang's spine at the sudden cold against his skin. He looked up, blinking the last of this onslaught of tears from his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered, smiling with his eyes closed as Edward brushed the wetness away. He stood, grasping the steel hand in his own. Curiously, Edward opened his eye, the look questioning where Roy had gone suddenly. He answered his own question when he tilted his head slightly, taking in the Colonel's softly smiling face.

Slowly and tentatively, the older man lowered his head, placing a chaste kiss on the side of Edward's lips, where he was sure not to hurt him.

The aurum haired teen grinned gently, sinking further down into his pillow. The heart monitor slowed to what Roy understood to be a normal rate; Edward fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Roy crossed to the other side of the bed, sitting down in one of the two chairs and resting his head on the mattress beside Edward's hand. The teen's hand stretched out, brushing the Colonel's nose. He complied with the silent requests, leaning closer to Edward's touch.

Alphonse watched in stunned silence.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

...that was the first romance scene between Ed and Roy I've ever written. Hm.

More shonen-ai than yaoi too. I prefer that. ...not that I dislike yaoi. I just like cute Roy/Ed flangst more.

What did you think oh wonderful readers? Review! Review! Whoo hoo, for review! (It rhymes if you try hard)

Love and kisses,

meganekko

Ps. Always cookies and pie. And now that they're reunited, you guys can share them with Ed and Roy. Cookie and pie party!! In Ed's hospital room! That's Room 212 in Central Westside Hospital! Also we're celebrating the first time I have ever reached 100 reviews in my life!!! Which equals cake too. Woo hoo, cake!


	10. Butterflies

**Dead Line Chapter Ten- Butterflies**

Written before chapter nine was posted. I like writing this part.

Again, you guys. I love you. Thanks for the encouragement to reach a double digit fanfiction. Here we are at chapter ten. Sorry if the last chapter dragged, I had to establish a setting again. /worries/ (Worrying face) I hope it wasn't boring. /worries more/ Ouch! I pulled out a bunch of hair from worrying. No more worrying.

**Also a notice to all those reviewers who are commenting on Roy's ooc-ness.**

I know he's OOC. For regular Roy. Later in the episodes, oh, something in the high forties, when he's trying to protect Ed, he becomes very outspoken. I think Ed makes him come out of his shell a bit, and so I embellished that for the story's plot. Roy would never admit his love unless he almost lost it. Not to mention his cryingness at Hughes' funeral. Death has a huge impact on Roy, probably because of Ishbal. That's what I think anyway. /shakes head/ Too much L.A. analyticalness lately.

Okay, that said, and kudos for those who noticed the OOCness, we carry on. With more romance!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Edward dreamt of flowers that night. Upon awakening, he found them in his reality too. Flowers of all kinds were positioned around him, from bright, euphoria-inducing sunflowers, to timid but beautiful forget-me-nots. A single white rose stood solitary amidst the other bouquets, its stem plunging deep into a narrow green bottle. The blonde smiled at this sentinel of a flower, tilting his head slightly to get a better look at it.

It was a wide flower, petals spreading out to almost unthinkable bounds. The petals curled around each other, tissue paper in texture and creamy white in color. It seemed fragile, but at the same time, the structure of the wafer thin petals seemed to fortify it, an inherent strength.

Sunlight streamed in through the window to the left, bathing everything in a calming yellow light. Edward watched dust floating in the sunbeam, altered in its gentle descent by any movement he made. He felt the sun warm his face, not shying away from it like he usually did, and smiled, praying this bliss would never end. He turned his attention back to the white rose, captivated by its simple beauty. He rolled on to his side, reaching with his automail arm to take it in his hands. A sharp grip of pain halted this movement, Edward flopped back onto the bed, defeated, perhaps blinded by the intense painkillers they must have him on.

He exhaled, creating a small tornado in the sunbeam.

Slowly, the pain returned to his body, magnified ten times over from the simple fact that he had been painless a few seconds prior.

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing it away. _Go away go away, I don't want to hurt anymore._

It was at this point he became aware of the absence of the respiration machine's periodic noise, the sound of the heart monitor more deafening for it. Instead of the hard device that wormed down his throat forcing air into his lungs, a soft mask rested over his mouth and nose, a steady jet of oxygen filling his breath.

It did little to ease his pain, however, only a small comfort in the rapidly increasing agony.

Moving his hand to where the two thick tubes had been, he whimpered, increasing the small noise to a cry when his fingers brushed the raw surface that lurked underneath the bandages. The cry petered out as he dropped his automail to the bed, lying perfectly still so as not to aggravate the wounds anymore. A stinging sensation all the way up his right shinbone was particularly apparent, not even dispelled by the warmth of the blankets.

"Al... Roy? Where are you?" he did not mean for his voice to come out so pitiful, weak and constrained, a shuddering cry with a glaze of tears. A sharp sudden pain jolted his neck, making him yell out.

Almost immediately, the door burst open, and Roy was at his side, holding what appeared to be a tall glass of water and a bag of clear liquid. Hastily, his eyes filled with a panicked glow, the Colonel attached one of the intravenous tubes to the bag, hanging it up on the tall pole. He placed the glass of water on the night table, pushing it beside the white rose.

Edward remained deathly still, determined not to cause himself any more pain; his muscles were rigid and stiff, his face set. Only the tender touch of Roy's fingers against his hair could calm him any, they worked over the golden strands, sending an unspoken apology for being late with the medicine.

Gradually, Roy's hands moved down Edward's face, stroking and caressing every detail of his unmarked flesh.

"I'm sorry I was late, baby. I'm sorry." he whispered, leaning in close.

Edward relaxed slightly, feeling the worst of the pain subside as the new medicine coursed through his bloodstream. Roy was close to him again, placing a whisper of a kiss on his cheek. A butterfly kiss.

The butterfly from Roy's kiss seemed to linger nearby, making its home it the pit of the teen's stomach. It fluttered here and there, tickling his insides pleasurably.

"Roy..." Edward whispered, finding regular speech too strenuous.

"What's wrong, hon?" Roy asked, in a surprisingly pacifying sort of voice, dripping with tenderness and love.

"Nothing, I just wanted to say your name." Edward pulled the mask from his face, earning a look of disapproval from Roy. "Will you come close like you did before?"

Roy obeyed, leaning almost directly in front of Edward's face. Straining somewhat, the blonde lifted his head and pressed his lips to the older man's. Butterflies erupted from every air particle, whirling in a multicolored dance around the pair.

Nearly wheezing with the effort, Edward sank back on to the bed, fluffing another disturbance in the sunbeam.

He looked, Roy registered, positively angelic amidst all the flowers and light, even as he was covered in bandages and bruises. A beaten angel. Gold shone from his hair and eyes, embellished in dazzling luminosity from the sun. _Breathtaking_.

Butterflies lingered, dusting his long hair with their sheen.

Interrupting the silent subtlety of perfection, Roy quietly asked a question. "Edward, honey... do- do you think you could tell me... who did this to you?" Roy grabbed his hand quickly, "You don't have to if you don't want to," he said rapidly, "But I need to know so I can..." words slipped, unable to supply the rest of the sentence.

"There were two..." whispered Edward scratchily, "A military man. He was a General. And another guy named X, they r-r-" Edward stopped, his eyebrows drawn close together. He looked ready to burst into tears.

"It's okay, you don't have to say what they did. Do you know where they are?"

"I killed him." The heart rate machine accelerated fractionally.

"What was the General's name?"

"It was... was..." Edward could not restrain the tears, they fell sideways down his face. "I don't remember, I can't remember what it was!" He had reiterated the use of his voice, regretting it deeply as it cracked near the end.

For the third time, Roy bent down close, this time embracing the teen in an awkward hug. "It's okay, I asked too early, you just need more time."

"Is this a bad time?" A quavery female voice split the room suddenly; Roy looked up, his arms still wrapped around the blonde.

A squat old woman walked in, very alone. She was dressed in a purple knit dress, complete with a shawl and handbag. Her grey hair had a flyaway look about it, as if it were only being held in place by her purple hat.

"I heard you were taken too. I wanted to ask you a question, if it's all right?"

Edward took an exceedingly large gasp of air, his chest rising. He nodded, closing his eyes as Roy fitted the mask over his face again, sitting back in the chair, and observing the old lady carefully.

"Did you see a girl a little older than you? Her name was Teresa. Teresa Dumon."

The blonde took in several short breaths, seeming to choke on his words as they attempted to come out.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. The look on the old woman's face nearly made him stop, but he continued, adamant to relay the girl's message. "She told me to tell her family she loves them. I couldn't save her, I'm sorry." Edward made to sit up, but Roy pushed him back down. "I'm sorry!" he used his one functional eye to see the old lady plunge her hand in her purse and retrieve a lilac embroidered handkerchief. Much to the male population of the room's surprise, she stepped beside his bed and dabbed at the blonde's tears, which were flowing with a smooth pace.

"Don't apologize, I'm sure you did all you could. Thank you for telling me that." The old lady handed the handkerchief to Roy, smiling although she was on the verge of tears as well. "Take good care of him." she bade him, turning and tottering out of the room.

Roy stared after her, the lilac handkerchief held loosely. Edward continued to cry, quivering on the bed. The Colonel slumped down into a chair, splaying his fingertips over his face, determined not to display his obvious desire to break down.

_I have to be strong for Edward._

"Wh-where's Al?" asked Edward suddenly, closing his eyes.

"He went back to your dorm to pick up some of your things. He said something about your clothes and a journal."

"Oh." The teen inhaled choppily, his uncovered chest heaving.

Roy tucked the blankets up close to his chin, feeling the heat radiating off the boy's flesh. "You're warm..." he said aloud.

"I'm c-cold... and I'm tired too." Blearily, he regarded the older man. "What kind of flower is that?" he gestured weakly to the solitary rose.

"_Sempervirens_. White rose." Roy lowered his voice to a gentle murmur, "Félicité perpetue. Everlasting happiness."

"It's pretty..." breathed Edward, falling deeply asleep again.

Roy smiled at the boy's peaceful sleep, tucking the blankets closer to his neck even though he was already so warm. His hand lingered on the edge of the blanket, drinking in the teen's beautiful heat as if it would ease his ice-gripped heart. A clunking sound of metal brought him out of his reverie of Edward's soporific and unusual warmth. He looked up, placing his finger over his lips.

Alphonse came in the hospital room, carrying the small brown suitcase that was a trademark of Edward's. Carefully he stepped over to the bed, placing the suitcase at Edward's foot.

"He's still asleep?" Alphonse asked quietly, popping the clasps of the case open to reveal several books and the red Flamel coat the blonde so loved.

"No, he just fell asleep again. He ran out of painkiller and woke up..." Roy neglected to mention the visit form the old lady, ruling it as something Edward should decide on publicizing.

"Colonel, are _you _all right?" Alphonse eyed him concernedly, taking in the general disheveled look about the raven haired man. Dark circles bordered his eyes, which were slightly bloodshot from lack of sleep.

"I'm fine... Don't worry." Noting the stern look the armour somehow managed, Roy smiled half-heartedly. "Really. I'm okay."

"Hm." said Alphonse, in a way very reminiscent of Lieutenant Hawkeye, pulling Edward's coat from the remaining items in the suitcase. "You're shivering, Colonel."

Roy observed himself, discovering that Alphonse was right. Goosebumps had worked their way over the hairs on his arm, prickling. The steel armour walked as silently as he could manage, swooping the red coat high in the air and allowing it to come to a rest around the Colonel's shoulders.

Roy sat, frozen by bewilderment for a moment, before finding comfort in the insulated crimson folds of the teen's coat. He slipped his arms through the baggy sleeves, finding the coat fit him rather nicely. He only figured that would explain why Edward always looked as if he were drowning in the cloth, it was at least four sizes too big for him if it fit the Colonel.

"C'mon, let's go get something to eat." Alphonse checked himself, "Well, let's get you something to eat. You look dead on your feet." Alphonse held out his gloved hand, noticing a lilac handkerchief clutched in the Colonel's. He said nothing of it, his curiosity losing to kind patience.

Roy stood, the red cloth of the coat unfurling from behind him to end just above his knees. He wrapped it closer around himself, allowing himself to be led away by the younger Elric.

As he crossed the threshold of the room, he turned and blew a kiss at Edward's still form.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A tall military man strode into the intensive care wing of Central Westside hospital, aloofly making a beeline for a door marked 212.

A name tag gleamed in the sun of the room, the engraved name of Tremblay stood out against the reflection of the golden light. **(1)**

Methodically, the man thrust the window open, allowing a cold breeze to waft through the space. He retrieved a large pillow from a bench opposite the bed the golden-haired teen lay immobile on, placing it on his lap. The tall man surveyed the sleeping teen, frowning deeply. With a swift movement, he swept the oxygen mask from the youth's face, placing the pillow tightly there in its stead.

Abruptly Edward woke up again, intending to take in a deep breath, but was halted from his intentions as little to no air reached his lungs. Panic flooded his body, making his heart accelerate to unthinkable speeds. Edward tried desperately to cry out, to alert someone but found the action as futile as breathing.

Rationality for a moment granted him the notion to utilize his arms in an attempt to fight the attacker off. He swung widely with his automail, he struck the man's shoulder, no doubt creating a bruise past the dark blue cloth.

His brain screamed for air, sending a sense of nausea deep into his stomach as white lights electrified his hindered vision.

_Help me!! Help me!! Someone please! _

He screamed into the soft surface of the pillow, his yell muffled to a dull silence. Air determined to escape from him caught in his mouth, plugged by the cotton pillow. He felt the lack of oxygen affecting his clarity, his arms swinging with no real goal in mind.

Muscles howled in anguish, not sufficiently fuelled to complete their tasks.

Tremblay smiled in satisfaction as the blonde stopped protesting violently, mildly aware of a slow throbbing in his left shoulder, where the teen's metal arm had managed to get a hit in.

Edward relaxed on the hospital bed, his heart rate achieving a maximum before hurtling drastically. Sadistically pleased, the man pulled the pillow away, watching the heart rate dwindle away as the teen could not manage the energy to reestablish the use of his lungs to save his own life.

Voices in the hallway alerted him someone was coming. He yanked the topmost blanket from the hospital bed, knocking a suitcase to the floor and threw it over his head, bolting for the window and forcing it wider. He leaped through it as the owners of the voices reentered the room. The voices quickly changed to screams of terror as they watched the cloaked form spring from the window sill and took in the lifeless body of the dying teen.

Roy rushed to Edward's bedside, his lips closing in an airtight seal around the blonde's, forcing a jet of air into his lungs. He did this several times, as Alphonse darted to the window and looked out, leaning far out.

"I see him! He's a military man!!!" the younger Elric shouted in surprise.

Roy didn't reply, urgently trying to inflate Edward's lungs. Hesitantly, he pushed on the teen's chest, forcing his heart back into beating. It complied, registering a feeble mark on the monitor.

He forced another breath into Edward's lungs, signaling for Alphonse to go get help. The steel armour was already on his way, halfway to the door already.

Roy watched the teen's chest heave as the air filled his lungs, praying through his agnosticism to a God he didn't believe in.

_Please, not him. Please God not him. _Breath. Heave. _Take me, kill me. He has to live. _Breath. Heave. _You can't have him._

Roy inhaled, readying a huge gust of air to respirate his lover. He blew it down Edward's throat, watching in apprehension as the teen's chest rose and fell, twice. Edward sat up, landing abruptly in Roy's embrace, coughing roughly, hacking breaths drawn in as he choked on the stale air. He clutched at the older man's arms and chest, painful for both parties, his breath bordering hyperventilation.

He began sobbing along with his rapid breaths, tears falling in tune with his cries. He buried his face in Roy's shirt, his automail holding the man tight against himself.

Words whispered out of his raw throat, 's' sounds most distinguishable. "S' scared! Was suffocating, dying. S' so scared!!"

"Shh, shh. It's okay now." Roy ran his fingers through the teen's long gold hair, massaging his head. "'m sorry," he mumbled into the crook of Edward's neck as he held him. "I should've been here, I left you. This is my fault."

"No. No, his name... his name..." Edward began involuntarily rocking back and forth, swaying Roy within his grip. A low hollow voice took over, lifeless and dull. "His name was Tremblay. Tilas Tremblay."

Roy broke away from Edward enough to look in his eyes, searching for the information. The truth lay in the teen's eyes, streaks among the gold.

"Tremblay...?" he muttered, anger filling his currently compressed chest.

"He took me, and he cut me, and he- he... he raped me." finished the blonde after a moment.

Anger welled up inside the Colonel, fires of fury spilling from his aura.

The butterflies burnt to useless tatters, their remains strewn across the bedspread.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**(1)** Cue reader scream of rage and/or terror.

So that was Chapter Ten. I did a sort of oneshot-esque thing with it. I like the butterflies. They're cute. And figurative. I didn't incinerate some helpless butterflies with Roy's anger. Don't worry. White rose _Sempervirens_ and butterflies, (which I pictured sort of black and sapphire, but you can think whatever you want) are my Roy/Ed ness symbols.

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	11. Bandages

**Dead Line Chapter Eleven- Bandages**

red yellow green red blue blue blue red purple green yellow orange red red

Aside from that, thank you for the great reviews again. Doumo arigatou/bows/

I am so honored to reach 150 reviews! You like me! You really really like me/cries/Edward muse pats me on back/

Okay! We carry on!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After collapsing in the safe stronghold of Roy's arms some three hours previous, Edward awoke slowly, watching the raven-haired man silently.

He blinked indolently, staring at the slumped form of the ever-collected Colonel. He was asleep, his chin resting on his collarbone. He must be breathing through his nose, slow and quiet, as his teeth were clenched in stress even in his sleep. He looked almost child like, his cheeks flushed a rosy pink, his eyelashes dusting the bright surfaces. Edward noticed, with a small twinge of amusement, his own coat was wrapped around Roy's body, warming it like no blanket could ever achieve. Thinking back to the last time he had washed the coat, Edward figured it must really smell like him, which was probably why Roy clutched it so carefully. A child with a security blanket, holding on to the scent of the one he loved, as he could not take hold of the real thing so tightly.

Several paper cranes rested in the flowers, multicolored and contrasting with the hues of the petals. Roy must have folded them, and judging by the scrap of half folded paper in his hand, he must have fallen asleep while doing so. He looked so innocent, as pure and clean as the sprig of baby's breath in a vase with wildflowers.

The sun had departed, replaced by a muggy grey sky that whispered of rain. Edward sighed, his breath creating a small fog on the respiration mask's plastic surface.

"Edward, sir?" A feminine voice shook Edward from his stupefaction at Roy's vulnerability. He looked over to meet the cinnamon eyes of Riza Hawkeye, his own mirroring the pleased surprise that swam in hers.

"Good evening, Edward." she said gently, pushing a few strands of golden hair from his functional eye. "How are you feeling?"

Edward leaned into her touch, the coolness of her hand soothing on his warm skin. "Sore..." he mumbled, his eyes too tired to linger open.

"You gave us quite a scare. Colonel Mustang's entire faction has taken a few days of holiday in claim that they have a sick relative."

Edward felt a new sensation rise up in his chest, seeming to fill it with a warm bubble. _A relative? They think of me as family?_

He grinned slightly, shuffling under the bedclothes. His automail knee popped, making the Lieutenant jump slightly.

"And at least the Colonel is actually asleep now. He hasn't allowed himself to rest until he was certain you were well-protected. I expect he's worried because of the.. incident earlier." Riza bit her lip, " Did you see who it was?"

"It was a military man, his name is Tremblay."

"General Tremblay in Investigations?" Hawkeye looked shocked, she grabbed Edward's real hand, careful to avoid the bandages. "Edward, are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" She said each word clearly, her voice edged with cautious concern.

"He told me 'imself..." the teen slurred, he opened his eyes, attempting to sit up. "There was another guy, he was a little older than me, Tremblay's nephew. He's hurt, I didn't help him... Is he...?"

"Don't..." Riza placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder, "Don't try to move yet. The doctor said you could get up and move around tomorrow at the earliest." she reached around Edward's heavily bandaged neck, grabbing his hair and pulling it around the front, resting it on his chest as he lay back down. "And there was another boy in here about your age, he is in intensive care, like you."

"He didn't do anything wrong. Nothing. Everything that happened was Tremblay and..." Visions burst into clarity in his mind's eye, the man named X advancing on him, the stomach churning memory of the man invading him, the splatter of blood from deconstructed flesh and muscles.

"Edward, sir, calm down." Riza stroked his cheek, letting her fingers work over his hair, untangling some of the knots.

Edward released a breath he had not noticed he was holding, nausea unsettling his stomach, setting it growling.

"We have a warrant for Tremblay's arrest from your previous statement. Colonel Mustang made it a priority for us earlier. There are search parties currently looking for him. When he is located, he will be brought in for questioning."

"Questioning?" Edward looked appalled, a feat which must have been very difficult granting he could only use about a third of his face to express emotion.

"That's what the Colonel said, with the same expression too. Yes, Edward, questioning. We need to see if he is responsible for any other crimes or felonies before we can sentence him properly."

Edward remained silent, coughing slightly as he breathed.

"Because he has to pay for what he's done. To you and anyone else he may have hurt." She turned away, rubbing at her eye, "He really hurt you... and if you died..."

Edward quirked his eyebrow, unsure of how to react to Lieutenant Hawkeye's very uncharacteristic display of emotion. Unexpectedly, she leaned forward and hugged him, her blonde hair tickling his cheek. "Don't you ever scare us like that again, do you understand me?"

She broke away, sitting on the edge of the mattress and lowering it slightly. Shaking her head slightly, she smiled at his confused countenance, pulling more blankets over his torso, she blinked, seeming to remember something suddenly. She reached into her pants pocket, retrieving his silver pocket watch with a red ribbon woven through the links in the chain.

It dangled in front of him, setting off a chain of reactions within Edward's mind.

_Rain splashed across his face as he ran down the alley, briefly noticing the red ribbon flying away from him in the raindrops. The scene changed to the warehouse, blood lay in wet puddles around him, the metallic tang stinging his nose. A glint of silver split the air, the pocketwatch landing in the blood with a clink of metal. A faceless, lumbering body advanced on him, a shadow amongst shadow. The sensation, too familiar now, of exposed flesh gripped him, he was rolled over and felt the heavy body of the shadow force himself against him. The silver pocketwatch lay face down, almost mimicking his position. He screamed-_

A scream escaped from Edward's lips, making Hawkeye recoil away from her close inspection of his unresponsive body. Roy jerked awake, the paper crane falling from his grasp as he started forward to Edward's side, his midnight eyes alert and worried. The Lieutenant stepped back, clutching the pocketwatch and ribbon in her hand and looking extremely apologetic.

The teen's scream faltered when he saw Roy, almost immediately turning into a sob. He choked, squeezing his eyes shut as the Colonel stroked his hair, "Ssh, ssh... It's over now..." Roy whispered, "You're safe now, honey... I love you, I'm here."

Riza stared, all at once realising the extent of Roy's care for the teen. Her surprise multiplied a hundredfold when the Colonel bent lower and kissed the blonde on the cheek, this alone subsiding the cries.

She stepped back away from the bed, shifting the silver watch in her fist. It popped open, revealing an etching on the inside cover.

_Don't forget, 3 Oct.10. _That was today... six years ago. The day the boys had burned their house and left it forever. Now the engraving acquired a double meaning. The third of October, the day the Colonel revealed his love for the blonde at last.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The next few days passed with little incidence, save for Alphonse tripping over a chair and nearly upturning Edward's hospital bed. The remainder of Mustang's brigade had all been in for a visit, Havoc showing up twice, which may or may not have been influenced by the attractiveness of the nurse who attended to Edward.

The teen's condition had improved to the point where he could walk around (with substantial help from Roy), and between the two of them, they had folded five hundred and twenty two paper cranes, several of which they had given to the visitors Edward received.

Today was the day to change his bandages, something he was not looking forward to.

Pillows were positioned all around him, propping him up into a sitting position. A sketchbook was laid out in front of him, a half-finished portrait on the cream-colored paper. He was laughing as Roy pulled random funny faces, altering the model for the portrait on the page.

"Oh, ow! Stop it!" Edward gasped through his breathless laughter. "Seriously! Ouch!"

"Okay, okay!" Roy smoothed his features, bending to pick up the pencil the blonde had dropped. He handed it back to him, letting his warm hands linger on Edward's bandaged flesh.

Edward flicked his eyes up, eyelashes half-covering his aureate iris as he gazed at the Colonel. Simultaneously, they leaned forward, a warm tide of breath mixing between them. Their lips met, both inviting and rushed with passionate excitement. How they both had longed for this, for so long. All that was pure and benevolent, anything that ever existed, would have blushed in shame in comparison to this kiss. That's what occurred to Edward as he pulled the raven-haired man closer to himself, parting his lips to allow him access to his tongue.

He had no idea what Roy could be thinking at this point, drowning in the pleasure of the kiss.

Roy wasn't thinking anything particularly profound, unless stripping the teen of all his clothes counted. He banished this thought away, reprimanding himself for thinking of Edward that way. He was not some toy that he could play with and discard when he was finished. He was his true love.

Ugh, how corny. But true. Damn all these corny yet true facts of life.

They broke apart, both panting thickly. After catching their respective breaths, they plunged in deeper, Roy's strength forcing the blonde back into the pillow seat he had fashioned. Roy moved in closer, climbing onto the bed over top of Edward, his legs straddling the teen's waist.

All at once, a rush of fear, mingled with an odd sensation of happiness erupted in the blonde's chest. Memories fought against present, battling for control. _I want this, I want him... so much. But I'm so scared. Stop, please stop..._

Edward ceased moving, going completely still as the Colonel continued to kiss him. After a few seconds of one-sided osculation, Roy pulled away, staring at the teen curiously. Edward looked terrified, blinking quickly and taking short quick breaths through his nose.

"Ed, Edward, baby... What's wrong?" Roy asked softly, stroking his lover's hair. "What-?" the Colonel stopped short, gasping as he realised how he was positioned. "Oh my god... Edward! Edward, I'm sorry!"

He sat up, clumsily getting off the bed. In the same movement, he reached forward and placed his hand on the side of Edward's face.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean- Edward? Can you hear me?"

The teen swallowed, nodding rapidly and shifting back onto the chair constructed of pillows. He smiled weakly, rubbing Roy's hand with his own.

A nurse strode in, holding a clipboard and looking somewhat nervous.

"Excuse me... Colonel Mustang? It's time for Mr. Elric to get his bandages changed. Could you-"

Edward interrupted the nurse quietly, "Um, c-can he stay?" he asked, tightening his grip on the Colonel's hand.

The nurse hesitated, looking as if she were going to say no, but checked herself, nodding.

"Um, thanks." Roy said, brushing his thumb over Edward's cheek.

"They will be in shortly to remove the bandages." the nurse said, bowing slightly as she turned to leave.

"This is going to hurt... isn't it?" Edward asked, touching the patch over his eye.

"Yes, probably. But I'll be here for you. I won't leave."

"Okay. I'll be okay then."

Doctor Thomas came in, holding the nurse's clipboard and reading it as he walked to Edward's bedside.

"So, Edward Autumn," Roy grinned at this, his and the doctor's private insider, "I see you have been making quite an improvement over the past few days! That's excellent. Now..." Dr. Thomas looked over the bandages on the teen's face and neck. "We're going to have to remove these to see how you're healing. And I can promise you it won't be without pain."

He motioned to an older nurse, handing her the clipboard. She stared at Roy sympathetically, her round hazel eyes taking on a kind look.

Dr. Thomas rolled a steel cart laden with various bandages and silver instruments which appeared to be several different kinds of scissors beside the bedside

"Shall we begin?"

Edward steeled himself, awaiting the first removal of the bandages. The doctor began first with cutting away at the gauze on the teen's jawline, pausing a moment before stripping them away from the blonde's flesh. They stuck to the congealed cuts, causing Edward to clench his teeth in an effort not to show his weakness. Roy maintained his hold on his hand, wincing slightly as Edward nearly crushed it.

The first portion of bandages pulled away, placed carefully in a silver bowl on the cart. Methodically, the doctor worked on the second piece, removing it in the same manner as the last one. The last thick bandage, which rested over the gauze pad on the teen's eye, was a bit more difficult to remove, it tugged on the sticky blood, setting the topmost cut bleeding again.

Edward turned his head slightly, resting his left cheek on Roy's cool hand, desperate to find some inkling of solace amidst the pain.

Dr. Thomas placed the last bandage in the silver bowl, grimly reaching for the lower bandages directly next to the wounds. Edward cried out, silencing himself instantly after as the gauze parted ways from his skin. Roy bit his lip, his eyebrows drawn together in a worried crease.

Long, deep cuts revealed themselves, pitting the right side of Edward's face with bloody chasms. Three of them were the most prominent, the upper two connecting into one, the third remaining solitary, and much more painful. Delaying a few seconds, Dr. Thomas carried on, tearing the thick gauze pad from Edward's eye.

The blonde blinked, opening his right eye slowly. The doctor leaned in, scrutinizing it carefully. It was bloodshot and bruised, the golden iris more striking for it. He closed it, discovering it hurt less to keep it shut.

He looked at the very scared form of the Colonel, showing the extent of his injuries. "Don't look.. don't look at me." he mumbled, turning away in an attempt to disguise his wounds.

A sensation of cold liquid shocked him suddenly as the doctor began applying antiseptic to the cuts on his face. Again he cried out, instinctively moving his automail to his face. Roy grabbed it before he could reach however, catching the blonde's gaze once more.

"Look at me, look, Edward. You don't have to be strong for me, or anyone else." Dr. Thomas raised his eyes to glance at Roy before returning to his work. "You can cry, you can yell. Do what you want, but don't try to hide from me, okay?"

"N-no, don't look at me, i don't want you to see!"

Dr. Thomas halted his surveyal of the teen's wounds, instead watching Roy closely. "Colonel Mustang, perhaps you should leave for the time being..."

"But I-" Roy glanced at Edward, who was determinedly looking away from him, shielding his face. A smear of blood streaked the cotton pillowcase.

The raven-haired man stood, dragging his fingers over Edward's cheek once more, a silent reassurance.

The old nurse patted his arm empathetically as he passed, her wrinkled face only expressing sympathy. Roy smiled half-heartedly at this, continuing his journey to the door. He said nothing to the passing people, sitting down in mute solitude. He heard the murmur of the doctor speaking once more, followed by a suppressed scream from Edward and a very audible gasp from the nurse.

A sharp command for an anesthesia from the doctor followed, the nurse obeyed, rushing to the bedside. Roy returned to the threshold of the room, just in time to see an ugly, dark wound blossomed like a morbid flower on the side of Edward's torso. Dr. Thomas moved in front of it, injecting a shot of anesthetic into Edward's intravenous tube.

"Count backwards from ten, okay Autumn?" he asked gently, placing his hand on the teen's forehead.

"What number system?"

"Pardon?"

"If I use natural numbers and not whole numbers, I'll have to stop at zero, because it doesn't exist and..." the teen fell into drug-induced unconsciousness, stopping his sentence short.

Roy grinned widely,chuckling exasperatedly and marvelling at Edward's ability to spew random knowledge even when he was slowly being forced to sleep. Fighting the urge to laugh at the strangeness of it all, Roy slipped back into the room, closing the door behind him. The nurse looked hurriedly up at him, busying herself with peeling the bandages from the teen's chest, uncovering wound after wound. They stood out vividly, carved deeply into his flesh, creating textures that would never truly fade.

The Colonel covered the lower half of his face with his broad hand, feeling an uncomfortable nausea in his stomach. His discomfited appearance switched quickly to one of anger as he surveyed the intense damage the teen was working so hard to hide.

Deep red cuts and bruises colored his normally ivory pale skin, irregular patterns spiderwebbing in congealing and scabbing wounds, pulling on the undamaged skin surrounding them.

After quickly requesting to be contacted if Edward woke up, Roy grabbed his black raincoat and stormed out of the hospital room.

He was going to find Tremblay.

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Ooo, Roy's seriously pissed now. Before he just upped the search parties and confirmed Tremblay's arrest. Now he's off to get him.

My Edward muse is anticipating some more violence next chapter. Hm. But he might be wrong. _Never trust a muse. _

**Edwardmuse:** Hey, you can trust me!!

**meganekko:** About as far as I can throw you. ... Oh I can trust you! HA!

**Edwardmuse: **How very unfunny.

Aha! The character conversations have returned! I haven't done one of those in ages! XD Cool! Pie and cookies for reviewers!!

Love and kisses to everyone,

meganekko


	12. Rain

**Dead Line Chapter Twelve- Rain**

This hurt my heart to write. No Edward/Roy fluff, but next chappie will be loaded, I promise! Love my reviewers! Thank you for the giant basket of muffins (which I devoured most happily) the constructive crit, and the various awws, and 'poor whoever's.

**Notice to those wondering about Roy's pet names:**

These shall be explained in more detail in Chapter Thirteen, Roy calls Edward his 'honey' for a reason. Just trust me on this one. Kay/tosses scotch mints in the air/ Scramble/scarpers/

Quoth the authoress: "Disclaim all!"

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After quickly requesting to be contacted if Edward woke up, Roy grabbed his black raincoat and stormed out of the hospital room.

He was going to find Tremblay.

Fury set itself deeply in Roy's youthful features, darkening his smooth complexion. He was aware of every breath he took, each of them a signal to his perfect health while Edward was unconscious in the hospital. The frantic rhythm of his heart pounded in his ears, echoing off tempo with his hurried steps down the hospital hallway.

He wrinkled his nose at the sharp smells of disinfectant and general cleanliness, at last arriving at the exit to the hospital. This was it. Next time he came back, he would be bearing news of General Tremblay's arrest or... Roy toyed with the thought, death. That was an interesting prospect, one the Colonel wasn't entirely opposed to. He deserved it, for what he'd done. He had shattered the pristine beauty of the blonde teen, tainting him forever with inerasable marks of both the mind and body.

Roy felt his fist tightening, the pyrotex cloth chafing and heating up fractionally. He steeled himself, striding through the thick blue door of the hospital to the street beyond.

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Meanwhile, Edward had awoken from his mild anesthetic unconscious spurt, relaxing in his warm bed, swathed in fresh clean bandages. He floated in the mellow stupor offered by the drugs, gazing drunkenly at the flowers that surrounded him. He looked around, his brow creasing slightly, the expression offered in full vision by the lack of the thick bandages over the right side of his face. Three heavy dressings rested in randomly placed diagonal patterns across his cheek, while his eye remained uncovered, tinted by rainbow hues around the bright golden iris.

He sighed, wondering where Roy was. _He said he wouldn't leave me._

"Oh, good afternoon brother!!" Alphonse's tinny voice exploded into Edward's soporific thoughts, shaking him from his drowsiness.

"Al, hey..."

"How are you feeling? Are you comfortable? Are you hungry, thirsty?"

"No, Al, 'm fine."

"Are you sure? I'll get you anything you want."

"Anything I want?"

"Sure! What do you need?"

"Where did Roy go?"

Alphonse hesitated, his trademark slip of a word before silencing himself making an appearance. "Um, he's not here. He went to go and arrest that person who did this to you, brother."

"No!" Edward sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress and sliding off, gingerly landing on his flesh foot, before opting to use his automail leg to support his weight. He clutched at the IV pole, holding himself upright. Alphonse held his arm out, supporting Edward's right shoulder.

_He said, he said..._

"He can't, he'll die! If he dies, I'll-" Edward hurried forward, yanking the pole with him as a makeshift crutch. After his first vigorous step, he placed his severely damaged right leg on the white linoleum, crumpling almost instantly. He sunk to the bottom of the pole, holding it in both his hands as if it would assure him of Roy's safety, choking back tears.

"I'm scared for him, Al," He sniffed, "He's who the leader wanted to kill! He wanted to kill Roy!! What am I going to do??" He pulled himself up the pole, grimacing in pain. Determinedly, he shuffled forward, back to his brother's side, caught in the throes of remaining upright.

_...he wouldn't leave me._

"Brother, he can handle himself, he's got Lieutenant Hawkeye, and I think Mr. Hughes went too." Alphonse rested his gloved hand on the side of Edward's face. "Seriously, Ed. He'll be okay. Please, lay down, you're.. you're not okay."

"I know I'm not. But I'm messed up enough for the both of us. If we're going to be... together, one of us needs to be okay. And I can't be right now, so he has to- Al, Al, why can't I- Am I just- I don't understand why this happened!"

Al stared at his brother's tortured expression, the thought occurring to him that he had never seen Edward express such raw emotion. He briefly pondered if he really wanted to experience love if this is what it did to people.

"This didn't happen for any other reason than to bring you two together. Maybe this was the only way for you both to realise what you have." Alphonse would have smiled, pulling his brother into a warm embrace to soothe his trembling form, had he had a human body. As it was, he did not, instead patting his brother's hair reassuringly, running his dark fingers down the entire length of it, pleased by the fact that it was loose from a braid or ponytail. He always preferred it when Edward left his hair down. It only accented his pleasantly sharp features, adding a softness to his features, albeit a somewhat feminine one. This was not dominant, however, Edward's boyish features still shone through, the length of his hair more flattering for it.

"C'mon let's get you back to bed."

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"This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Do you know what you're doing? How could you agree to meet him here? Roy, are you listening to me? Hey-"

Roy got out of the car, slamming it shut, the one-sided conversation between him and Hughes still ringing in his ears.

"_Roy, talk to me! Why aren't you with Edward right now? He's probably scared out of his mind. We can handle Tremblay's arrest, go back to him."_

The raven-haired man remained silent, staring out blankly, seeing nothing but his thoughts.

"_Roy, promise me something. Promise me you won't get yourself killed in there."_

They had come to a stop outside the warehouse between Lewis and Son's and Woodrow's, an L and a W. Roy frowned at the plain front, remembering the first letter he received that had offered a clue to Edward's survival.

"_If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. Think of what it would do to Edward. It would destroy him. Please, Roy, be careful."_

Barely aware of Hughes following him out of the car, Roy strode to the entrance of the warehouse, quietly opening the door and creeping inside, his first two fingers tense against his thumb as he prepared himself to attack. He heard the faint shuffling sound of someone busily moving from the central area of the warehouse, his brow creasing in thoughtful confusion. Why would he linger here in the city? Didn't he know there were multiple warrants for his arrest?

He motioned to Hughes to go back, and alert the remaining squads outside the building to be ready if the General tried to escape. The bespectacled man nodded, backing away slowly, carefully watching Roy's uneasy stance.

Roy inhaled deeply, walking around the boxes into full sight of whoever was behind them.

_Bravest man I've ever known._ Hughes thought, slipping back outside.

Tremblay turned quickly, gun poised at the end of his arm as if it were a complete part of his body. The practiced ease in which he held it was slightly unnerving, but Roy maintained his stoical expression, glaring intensely with irises shifted to onyx.

"So, you came all by your lonesome, did you?" Tremblay smirked, "Trying to be noble, huh? I doubt it. How many squads do you have waiting outside?"

Roy showed no glimmer of anything but strong unfettered hatred, his loathing casting a warm aura around his body.

"I suppose your little blondie made it, after all. You win that round, Mustang."

"Why have you done this?" Roy voice was nearing a monotone, as he desperately tried to keep his voice level.

"Because you killed my only love. _You_ killed her! She loved you so much, and you brushed her off, she never recovered! She died because of you!" Spit flew from Tremblay's mouth in his rage, he advanced on the Colonel, gun held directly at the raven-haired man's forehead. "This is too good for you. You deserve some pain, long hours of pain, like she did, and then you can die of a broken heart. Your lover, your little Edward, is going to die in front of your eyes. Just you wait."

Tremblay pulled away, holding the gun barrel upward. "And you know of course, that it is your fault entirely that he is so terribly hurt." He spoke the last words with a mocking tone, his lips curling into an ugly pout.

"It's not my-"

"Oh but it is! Without your brilliant efforts in killing the only woman I ever loved, you _made_ me do this. I've just been replicating for you what I had to go through when she was dying. Looks like I hit the jackpot with the last one too. You love him back."

Roy swallowed, his hand still tensed to summon up the flames he was so well-known for.

"Really Mustang. _Him_? You're switching teams for your love now? Did you break the hearts of all the girls in Central, so you had to go for guys now?"

"You know nothing! He is..."

"What? Special? Would you kill me to avenge him? Is that really so different from what I'm doing? And I'm made out to be the bad guy here."

"I'm not you, I would never-"

"You came here fully with the intention of killing me, didn't you?"

"No."

"No?"

"I'm going to arrest you, and you can be tried and given the death sentence, and I will have a front row seat at your execution, you filthy son of a bitch."

"My my, what language. How are you going to do that if you're suffering in the hospital?"

Tremblay raised the gun and cocked it, firing a shot seconds after Roy snapped his fingers. A concentrated blast of fire erupted from the air, engulfing the burly form of the General. The bullet whizzed past Roy's shoulder, clipping the side of his left arm and spinning him sideways. He gasped, clutching at he wound as he ran, bent at the waist, blindly dodging his flames and the resounding gunshots.

A squad burst in the right hand side door, their guns held ready, all pointed at the slightly smoking body of General Tremblay. He chuckled, brushing some soot off his sleeve. He tossed the now spent gun aside, hands raised in the air.

"You're quick, Mustang. But I still had him first, remember that."

Roy turned back to the grinning General, his fist tightening.

"He's dirty, and what's more, he probably doesn't want you anyway."

Roy lunged forward, punching the mocking man square in the jaw, a sharp pang of pain surging inside his arm. Two of the officers behind him busied themselves with fitting handcuffs around his wrists, hauling him to his feet after he had buckled from Roy's hit.

"Colonel Mustang sir."

Roy glanced sideways as Riza approached him. "Sir, we have him now." She watched as her squad hauled the General across the floor, fitting her gun into her side holster.. "Are you all right sir?"

The Colonel remained silent, his fist still tightly clenched. His eyes burned with angry tears, he sighed deeply, watching Tremblay's smiling face cross the threshold of the boxes, disappearing from view.

"Permission to speak freely, sir."

Roy nodded, his eyes still unmoving from the place he had last seen the General.

"You look terrible."

Roy glanced over at the blonde woman, wishing he hadn't been so quick to nod his approval.

"Sir, are you getting enough rest and eating properly?"

"What are you, my doctor, Lieutenant?" The raven-haired man turned away, drinking in the warehouse, still crimson with almost week-old blood. Everything was in exactly the same position as it was from the last time he had been here, the table, the chair, the telephone, the _blood_. It was absolutely everywhere, evidence of the brutality of the attacks painted in spatters on the surroundings.

"No, I'm your friend, and I'm worried about you. I know you want to be sure of Edward's safety, but you need to think about yourself too."

"I'm in perfect health compared to him. It's nothing to worry about."

"Sir, with respect, that is ridiculous. Look at yourself."

Roy complied, quickly looking himself over. He lingered for a moment on his shaking hands, before shrugging. "I'm fine, Lieutenant."

"And that's the tone of voice you always use when trying to hide how you really feel." Riza said firmly, grabbing the Colonel's shoulder and pulling him round to face her. "I've known you for nearly seven years, Colonel, I think I would know when something is wrong with you."

"Well you don't. I'm fine." He yanked his arm away from her grip, stepping back and crossing the warehouse floor to the back door.

"Sir," Riza began, following behind him. "Colonel Mustang, listen to me!"

Roy continued to ignore her, opening the door and looking out to the alley beyond. Flashes of that night blazed across his vision, staining the alley with an inky black. Rain seemed to fall in front of his eyes, splashing on the suddenly dry alley.

Wordlessly, he stepped outside, his memories leading him through the abyss lurking in his mind down the narrow alleyway. He rushed down another alley, stopping abruptly near the end of it. Hawkeye followed curiously, arriving beside him, her eyebrows creased together as she tried to work out where they were.

"Sir..." she halted, realization dawning upon her.

"_Help me..."_

Roy cast his eyes leftward, staring at the blood still streaking the ground and wall where... where he had found Edward.

"_Roy... you came..." Edward was huddled against a muddy brown wall, his arms wrapped around his knees._

"Colonel? What's wrong?"

Tears poured from the Colonel's midnight blue eyes, rolling quickly down his cheeks, dripping down the front of his military uniform.

Riza blinked, too shocked for any other movement.

Roy sunk to his knees, seemingly completely unaware of her presence. He reached forward, his hand trembling as he picked up a rough, bloody looking collar. He turned it over and over in his gloved hands, staring at something that was invisible to the Lieutenant. Tentatively, she placed her hand on his shoulder once again, this time he did not react at all, save for bowing his head slightly to let the tears fall freely from his eyes.

His shoulder shook under her hand, she knelt down beside him, filling Edward's space in his memory and looking him deep in the eyes. "Roy," he registered the use of his first name, a rare occurrence for the Lieutenant. "Roy, it's not your fault. Please listen to me."

"It is! Damn it! Why doesn't anyone admit it?? He was right! Edward doesn't want me! Not after what I've done!!"

"You stop right there!" Riza's cinnamon eyes grew dangerously narrow, their beam of scorn focused directly at the Colonel, successfully silencing him. "He loves you more than anyone else, I know that for a fact." She drew her gun, "If you have anything else to say to that, you can say hello to a bullet."

"Do it, it's less than I deserve."

This earned a sharp slap to his cheek, throwing his tears to the side. A red mark burned as bright as Riza's steadily warming face. "Don't you ever say that again, Roy Mustang." Her voice was low and venomous, "You do not deserve to die, no matter what you've done. Edward needs you, we all need you. Whether you believe it or not." 

Roy lowered his head into his hands, the collar falling to the damp alley ground.

Slowly, unsure of what she was doing, the Lieutenant wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. He leaned into her, clutching at the sleeves of her uniform, quivering irregularly.

"Damn, damn it's raining." he stuttered unsteadily, burying his face in her collar.

"I know, I don't mind the rain."

"Does he really love me? As much as I love him?" His voice was quiet, almost childlike in intonation.

"He loves you, he loves you so much."

From the end of the alley, Hughes smiled, striding across the street to where he had parked the car.

He could wait.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hahh! Woo, never ever read this with 'My Heart Will Go On; Celine Dion' or 'My Skin; Natalie Merchant' playing in the background. Or you'll make your own rain.

Notice: This is not Roy/Riza, it's just friends fluff.

Oh, for anyone else who plays Tales of Symphonia!!! THEY ARE MAKING A SEQUEL!!! Woo! It's called Knights of Ratatosk, and is being released in Japan next spring. Soo, this time next year, Tales all the way!!!

Review for pie and cookies shaped like the Wonder Chef. Gosh I hope he's in the new game

Love and kisses.

Meganekko

--I am the mysterious gourmet, the Wonder Chef!--


	13. Home

**Dead Line Chapter Thirteen- Home**

So my last chapter must have been unpopular or something. My review average dropped by half the average. I felt bad for you guys, no Roy/Ed fluff. Sooo, I stocked this chapter to the brim with cute romancey boylove!! Yay! I don't know what my deal was last chapter... Whatever! I'm happy with this one. Review for pie and cookies! Pumpkin pie!

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"Brother! Please, please wake up! C'mon, Ed!"

Roy returned to hospital room 212 to find Alphonse coaxing Edward out of a nightmare most unsuccessfully. The younger Elric's tone seemed almost tired, as if he had been doing this for a long period of time.

"Alphonse?" Roy entered the room, placing his coat and overcoat on the chair just inside the door. "What's the matter with him?"

The blonde was convulsing on the bed, mumbling incoherent vowel sounds, his face a mask of agony. His body was writhing, in pain or terror, it was impossible to tell. Roy supposed it to be both.

"I don't know! He won't wake up! He's been like this for nearly two hours! The doctors said we just have to wait it out!"

Roy's eyes narrowed in rage, noticing the broad leather straps binding the teen to the bed. His mind flashed back to the warehouse, bloodied ropes and barbed wire coiled as dangerous as snakes on the cold concrete.

"Restraints??" he gaped, outraged. Rapidly, he reached for the buckles, unfastening them and stripping the restraints away from Edward's spasmodic body.

Almost immediately, the blonde sat up, his jerking protests becoming more wild and violent.

"No, get'way stop no, no! Get off of me!!"

"Edward, can you hear me?" Roy spoke in low tones, very clearly. "Come out of there, come back to us."

"No, don't!" Edward screamed, toppling sideways out of the bed before Roy or Alphonse could make a move. He continued to shake intermittently, his face striking the cold linoleum again and again. Roy was at his side in an instant, shifting the teen face up, with his head in his lap, cradling the spastic movements.

"Shh, Edward, Ed honey, it's over, it's over..." Roy kissed the blonde's forehead, stroking the side of his undamaged chin tenderly.

"Please, m-make it stop." Edward whimpered, his hands finding Roy's and clutching them tightly. "I'm not strong anymore, Roy, I'm hurt."

"It's okay, I said you don't have to be strong. It's over now. We captured the person who did this to you."

"You did?" Alphonse exclaimed, stepping behind Roy, who nodded.

"The court date is in two days, after that he's going to be sentenced, and probably killed." A sting of venom accompanied the last word, illuminating the Colonel's contempt.

"That's where you went?" Alphonse questioned.

Another nod.

Edward's spasms quieted under Roy's gentle touch, he relaxed, stretching as far as his bandaged muscles would allow. "I can't fight anymore... it hurts too much." His words spilled out, cascading into an almost inaudible puddle of sounds.

"C'mon, back to bed with you." Roy shuffled out from underneath the blonde, lifting him up as easily as if he were a paper doll. It was at this point that Alphonse noticed the blatant openness of Roy's white dress shirt, revealing his very well-toned chest.

"Um, Colonel Mustang, your shirt is open." Alphonse pointed out, almost seeming to blush.

Roy looked own, noticing that this indeed, was the case. He shook his head slightly, his shoulders shrugging and fluttering the semi-translucent material around his torso, placing Edward's freezing body back in the bed.

"He's so cold..." observed the Colonel, pulling the disturbed blankets back around the teen's body.

"He's always that cold. I can't feel anymore, but I know he's cold. Ever since we tried to bring Mom back, he doesn't warm up, unless he's sick or..."

"Or what?"

"Or he's really happy about something. He kind of glows, I don't know how to explain it." Alphonse paused, working it through in his head. "It's like he's a cloudy sky."

Roy sat down, surveying Alphonse inexpressively, waiting for him to elaborate.

"You know," the younger Elric continued, "He's always stormy and gloomy, but when something makes him happy, it's like the sun is shining on him, and he glows."

"That's called pathetic fallacy in a metaphor."

"What?"

The raven-haired man held up a book that had previously been resting on the nighttable. "I read that. One of Edward's notebooks. He wrote a few."

"He'll be mad if he knows you're reading that. It's private. I'm not even allowed to read it."

"He let me see it. He said he doesn't want to keep secrets from me."

"I don't." Edward spoke up suddenly, "Nor from you, Al. But some of the stuff in there, it's too personal to share."

"But you'll share with the Colonel?"

"That's different, Al."

"How? How is he any different from me?"

"I love him-"

"What and you don't love me?"

"You didn't let me finish. I love him in a way... that I never loved anyone before. He's different. I don't know how to explain it."

"That's true, because I don't understand you at all."

Roy looked uncomfortable, staring intently at his left knee, in hopes it would present a hitherto hidden ability to make him invisible.

"Al, I'm sorry, but I-"

"Don't apologize. It's done."

The raven-haired man was under the impression it was far from over, wondering the odds of getting out of the room unnoticed. He decided to chance it, standing up abruptly and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him, nodding to the brothers as he shut the door. After all, they had been referring to him as if he wasn't present, why should he linger?

"It's not done, Al. You don't know how much I really care for you." Edward's voice was hollow and weak, spent even after this small amount of talking. "There's different kinds of love." He inhaled choppily, wincing slightly. Alphonse remained still, looking for all the world as if a statue had materialized in his place.

"What I mean to say is," he coughed several times before continuing, "There's no one in the world who means more to me than you two. Equal benefactors of two different loves." His body seemed to lose substance, going limp as his strength depleted once more. His words now came in a whisper, barely audible, "And it will always be that way."

Alphonse crossed the room and sat upon the bench opposite Edward's bed, seeming to revert to cold, lifeless steel.

Edward shivered fitfully, bringing the blankets up around his nose, touching it gently with his flesh hand and finding it to be as cold as his automail. He snuggled deeper down into the blankets, covering his whole head in an attempt to warm himself. Breathing through his mouth to send some internal heat around in his makeshift tent, he brought his legs up to his chest, wishing he had some socks on.

A shiver ran through his body, sending goosebumps all down his arms and legs, sensations mixing oddly with the bruises and lacerations. His hair stuck to his face from the humid heat of his breath, an itchy annoyance working up the left side of his face.

Much to his surprise, the left side of the bed was depressed suddenly,and something warm curled up beside him. He lifted the blankets, a tide of freezing air rushing at him and stunning him momentarily. Broad, warm hands crept underneath the icy chill, resting on his face and clearing the somewhat sticky strands of hair from his visage. Edward lifted the blankets higher with his automail hand, inviting the warm presence closer to him. It complied, shifting wholly onto the bed and underneath the blankets.

Edward opened his eyes, coming startlingly close to Roy's midnight blue irises. The raven-haired man seemed to radiate heat, a beautiful golden sun shining somewhere beneath his skin. The teen stretched out, allowing more bed space for the older man.

Roy's hands tentatively reached forward, exploring the soft curves of the blonde's torso. They rode on gentle caresses, feeling every muscle that lay hidden underneath the hospital gown and bandages. Edward moved closer to the man's body, his own laying flush against Roy's. He noticed with pleased amusement the very open status of Roy's shirt, tilting his head forward to rest upon the smooth flesh. How he loved the look of unblemished skin, it was not something he was used to.

"Do you want to go home? The doctor said tonight." whispered Roy, his arms resting in a wall like structure around Edward's shoulders.

"I am home."

"A hospital isn't home."

"No, 'm home. Right here. Your arms."

Roy pondered the clichéness of Edward's last statement, concluding he didn't care about originality. He could handle a cliché now and again if this was what accompanied it.

He sighed contentedly, resting his chin on the top of Edward's head, bending slightly to place a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead before relaxing against the pillow.

Edward's lips curled into a grin before changing course and kissing the exposed skin of Roy's chest, their coolness a shock. His flesh hand trailed over the soft skin of Roy's chest, reaching underneath the collar of his dress shirt and over his shoulder, coming to a halt when he met the familiar texture of bandages.

"Just a scratch, nothing to worry about." Roy said reassuringly, rubbing Edward's back, his own pain feeling rather insignificant in comparison.

"Does it hurt?"

"A li- no. No, I'm okay."

"Hm," Edward mumbled disbelievingly, his placement of his hand slipping as he sunk into sleep. His breath whirled out in a gentle gust, tickling slightly.

Roy smiled contentedly, tightening his grip on the teen and allowing himself to sleep as well.

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"Royyyy... Wake uuuup!"

The aforementioned sleeper awoke, slowly able to distinguish dreams from reality. He managed a sound like 'Mumorguh', then blearily opened an eye. The first thing he saw, to his happy surprise, was a peacefully quiet visual of Edward sleeping beside him. This in itself was an enormous distraction, not to mention the very comfortable position he had managed to procure. He closed his eye, cuddling up closer.

"C'mon, Sleeping Beauty, time to go home!"

_Ugh, Hughes. No wonder his name is Hughes, it's got ugh in it._

"You and your honey are going home now! You have to wake up to do so!" 

Roy hoped that the linoleum would decide to devour his friend and leave him in peace.

The bespectacled man grabbed Roy's injured shoulder, shaking it to encourage a more wakeful attitude. "Seriously, Roy! I'll drive you home and everything!!"

At this, Roy rolled over slightly, squinting his eyes in tired exasperation. Edward groaned in his sleep, clinging to the now-wrinkled dress shirt that hung oddly off the Colonel's chest.

"Good grief, he's already taking your clothes off? You guys are quick."

"Be quiet." Roy's voice had a menacing tinge to it, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "Don't talk about him like that. He's-" Roy broke off, losing the end of the sentence somewhere in an invisible void.

Hughes blinked, his smile fading fast, "Oh, oh sh- Roy, god I'm sorry."

The Colonel shook his head, pulling away from Edward's loose grasp and sliding out of the bed. He stumbled to the door, his sleeping legs not quite adjusted to walking around. He picked his military jacket and overcoat from the chair inside the door, folding the dark blue fabric into a tight roll, tucking it back beside Edward's packed suitcase. He buttoned his shirt up, his exhaustion evident as he placed the wrong button in the holes, making the shirt sides uneven. Hughes stifled his laughter for Roy's sake, picking up their luggage and carting it out the door. He plainly left a change of clothes for Edward, and both of their respective coats.

"I'm parked in Lot 49 on the west side. I'll meet you there?"

"Yeah, okay." Roy mumbled, reaching forward to rouse the sleeping blonde. "Edward, hey... wake up, hon."

Edward stirred, opening his eyes tiredly. "Wha? What's goin' on?" His words slurred into almost one sound, as his lips barely moved to enunciate.

"C'mon, we're going home now."

"Wharzal?"

"What?"

"Where's Al? Gotta 'pologize. H'was mad."

"I don't know. I suppose he went back to your dorm?"

"I made him mad."

"He'll get over it. He always does, doesn't he?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay, you have to get up now, here..."

Roy lifted the teen into a sitting position, propping him up and making to untie the back of the hospital gown. He drew the pale blue cloth from Edward's torso, readying a black v-neck sweater to take its place. For a moment, Edward sat almost fully exposed, with only his underwear on, an overwhelming fear brewing in his chest, tensing him up. Cold air rushed at him, attacking him with a barrage of memories, flying on a razor breeze.

_His jacket came off, followed by his shirt. The chill of the concrete sunk deep into his bones, his automail port freezing the surrounding skin. _

_A collar fitted around his neck, tightened to the extreme, halting his breathing for a moment._

Edward coughed, tears forming in his eyes.

_He was aware of someone busying themselves with the buckle of his belt, before a new jet of air rushed to his exposed waist and hips-_

"-ward! Hey, calm down!"

Edward inhaled rapidly, staring wildly at Roy, before looking down quickly to ensure his reality. A tightly knit black sweater was clinging to his muscular form, covering the cool air and the bandages rather nicely.

He yanked the blankets around his waist, holding them there tightly until Roy retrieved a pair of soft black jeans. Tentatively, the Colonel peeled the blankets away from the teen's legs, his midnight blue eyes never leaving the twin suns of Edward's.

How it pained him to see Edward reduced to this. Before these events, Edward wouldn't be caught dead with Roy helping him dress, now he seemed distant and unperturbed by it. He looked to the side, rocking back and forth slightly as Roy began putting the pants on his legs.

Abruptly, he stood, tugging the jeans around his waist, attempting to fasten them, but fumbled with the button. As he thought helpfully, Roy reached down and buttoned the blonde's jeans. Edward recoiled visibly, wrapping his arms around his torso. His eyes were wide with indomitable fear, he stepped back a few paces, his back meeting the wall. He was lost, Roy knew, lost somewhere in a memory.

"Roy... I'm sorry, I can't... stop it."

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay honey. Come here, I won't hurt you."

"I kn-know, but I'm scared anyway."

Roy held his arms out, ready to hold the blonde in his embrace. "I'm here, I will not hurt you."

Uncertainly, Edward eased himself away from the wall, shuffling forward slowly, wary of Roy's every movement. He came between Roy's open arms, holding his breath and expecting the worst. His heart rate increased drastically as the Colonel's arms moved around his neck, something wrapped around it. He winced, knowing it was the collar again, he was going to be dragged back to that hell. He looked down, discovering Roy was tying a bright red scarf in a broad knot.

Relief flooded through him, warming his core slightly.

Next, the raven-haired man grabbed the blood red coat that was Edward's trademark and covered the teen's shoulders with it, holding the sleeves out expectantly, waiting for the blonde to put his arms through them. He obliged, rubbing his face against the warm cloth, which now smelled oddly like charcoal and smoke. He smiled, the scent like a pleasant incense.

He watched as Roy shrugged into his own jacket, fitting a golden yellow scarf around his neck and pulling on a pair of dark leather gloves. Bending down to retrieve their shoes from underneath the bed, Roy handed a pair of navy blue socks to the teen, motioning for him to put them on.

Edward sank back onto the bed, tugging the socks on quickly, the warmth moving to his foot as well. Roy placed his boots out in front of him, tugging on his own pair and letting his black slacks over them.

The teen stood, a glimmer of a smile dancing on his lips like a ballet in the distance, barely visible. He leaned into Roy's chest, positioning his arms around the Colonel's waist.

"I love you..." he mumbled into the older man's scarf, his hair almost the identical color.

"I love you too, honey..."

"...Why do you call me that?"

"Honey? I don't know... I guess, whenever my little sister would get upset from a nightmare, or whenever she was scared, she liked it when I called her honey. It's just habit now, I suppose."

"I wondered."

"C'mon, let's go, Hughes is waiting."

"We can lay down again soon?"

"Yeah, in a little bit."

After checking the room again to make sure they hadn't left anything, (the flowers had been moved somewhere else earlier in the day) the pair signed out at the front desk and exited the hospital through the West door.

Edward stared up, noticing how dark it was, although the light from the streetlamps still granted enough vision to see the swiftly falling snow. He gazed into the sky, the snowflakes seeming to rush at him at mach speeds. Closing his eyes to feel the snow melt on his face like frozen tears, he swayed, toppling over as Roy scanned the parking lot for Hughes' car. He landed in a nearby snow drift, the small noise making the Colonel turn around curiously.

Edward hastened to get up out of the snow drift, shivering madly. He stood, teeth chattering as Roy grinned and placed his arm around the teen's shoulder's leading him across the parking lot to Lot 49, where a large car was parked.

The raven-haired man shook snow out of his hair as he opened the back door, waiting for Edward to get in before following. Hughes grinned broadly, shifting the car into reverse as Roy slammed the door shut; they pulled out of the hospital parking lot, turning onto a long, somewhat busy street.

"Home then?" Hughes prompted, looking in the rearview mirror with the same broad grin.

Roy looked at Edward for confirmation, sighing while exasperatedly smiling as he discovered the blonde was already asleep again, leaning against the cold window. Aware that Hughes was observing them while driving, the Colonel drew the teen closer to him, resting his head on his lap.

"Oh," Hughes said suddenly, reaching blindly into the passenger seat, keeping his eyes on the road, "Here, Al left some stuff for Edward." He tossed a bundle to Roy, "There's a blanket there if you want it."

"Hm, thanks."

Roy unfolded the blue blanket, spreading it over Edward's sleeping form, and noticed two things besides the blanket in the bundle. They appeared to be some sort of plush dolls; the car drove past a streetlight, Roy scrutinized them closely, discovering them to be plush versions of himself and Alphonse.

He chuckled softly at the younger Elric's rendition of him, admiring the handiwork.

"He said those were for Edward, so he could have both his loves wherever he went." Hughes said, a slight smirk on his lips. "Of course he's with you most of the time now, so..." They rounded a corner, turning onto a mostly abandoned street.

Moving over slightly, Roy leaned against he window, hugging Edward close to himself and sliding the two plushies into the teen's loose grasp.

He closed his eyes in a prolonged blink that turned into a permanent movement as he fell asleep.

"-up. You're home. Hey, Roy!" The Colonel jerked awake, smacking his cheek against the condensed glass of Maes' window.

"Oh," he mumbled shortly, sitting up and pushing Edward into the same position. The blonde groaned, a streak of saliva sticking his hair to his chin. Lines from Roy's jacket scored his face, almost matching the pattern of cuts across the other one. His bruised eye remained closed, shut by sleep.

"Gorgeous," commented Hughes, taking in Edward's dishevelled appearance.

Roy opened the door, stepping outside and holding his arms out to help Edward out of the car. Snow still persisted to fall, in blustering waves now. Edward shuffled out of the back seat, the robin's egg blue blanket cloaked around him, complete with a hood, the plushies clutched to his chest. He stepped across the snow carefully, cautiously staring at the ground. He waited for Roy to lead him, unfamiliar with the location.

"We're home, Edward."

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There. Fluff galore for you readers out there. This is for you! I have now worked out a way to reply to reviews here! Wheee!

To:

**melchan13:** LOVE YOU!

**Katsushiro Okamoto: **This story won't be ending for a while, I'm planned out to about Chapter Sixteen already. I hope to make it to twenty.

**Paon:** I sent a review reply to you already, but for the sake of mentioning it, Edward's hair is still mostly long, except for the few strands behind his left ear, which Cael cut off in the little braid.

**potterphantom13:** Words cannot express how outstanding this story is? Golly! How flattering/blushes/

**DarkChocolateAlchemist:** Here's fluff for you! Signed, sealed, and delivered! Also I LOVE your stories! I came across one the other day and was all holy WOWZA!

**EmoGwyddoniaeth2:** COOL! Your review was cool! Lol, thanks for the review.

**Kiba's Mewse:** Thanks for the review! I hope you found the bathroom in time!

**edo little kid:** Aww, I love you too! It's not every day a edo little kid loves me/feels special/

**Bar-Ohki: **Salty!

Please note, sweet reviewers whom I love with all my being, that I only replied to the reviews in chapter twelve, because I'm dumb and only thought to copy those ones to my thumbdrive in Art today.

Review for pie and cookies!

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	14. Apology

**Dead Line Chapter Fourteen- Apology**

Welcome to chapter fourteen!!

I like how everyone liked the plushies of Alphonse and Roy. That was actually a last minute addition, because I felt that Al would want to let Edward know he wasn't angry if he wasn't going to see him for a while.

So since you guys helped me to reach over 200 reviews, I made this chapter extra long, cause I love you and wanted to say thank you in a way you'd really appreciate. /bows/

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!!

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"We're home, Edward."

The blonde stared up the brickwork walkway, his eyes focusing on the small two-storey house before him.

"This is your house?" he asked, turning to Roy and holding the blanket more securely around his shoulders. The wind and snow was already forcing its way through his clothing, chilling him from the automail ports. He stepped closer to Roy, leaning into his chest as if the older man would exert an instant fire.

"It's not much, but yes." Roy replied, leading Edward up the walk. Hughes followed, hefting Edward's suitcase over his shoulder.

"You live all alone?"

Roy considered the teen for a moment, smiling gently over his scarf. "I don't want to anymore..."

The bespectacled follower snickered and rolled his eyes, brushing past the pair and marching up the three steps that stood in front of Roy's door. He pushed a flower pot aside with his foot, retrieving the key that rested underneath it. Already, snow was gathering on the porch, freezing Roy's weird exotic ferns.

Maes looked at the fern for a moment, wondering why and how Roy managed to garden at all. As far as he knew, the Flame Colonel didn't care for that sort of thing. He shrugged, turning the key in the lock and letting the broad burgundy door swing inside.

He made his way up the stairs, for some reason, a smile plastered to his face. His imagination ran away with him, planting fantasies of Edward and Roy being together for many years to come, Roy's solitary life at last complete with the one he truly loved. Visions of him visiting them in years to come flickered past his mind's eye, a montage of their happy life. It had never occurred to Maes to question their relationship, he had known for nearly two years, and oftentimes found himself wondering if either of them would admit their very obvious affection for one another. Finally, finally they were together, Hughes sighed in mild exasperation, _it took them long enough_.

Really, he could not picture Roy with anyone else. The Flame Colonel looked so odd holding anyone else, he seemed to fit exactly with Edward, their bodies interlocking.

Hughes shook his head to cast aside the thought that ensued after the last one, giggling in spite of himself. How would they act in bed? The Lieutenant Colonelstopped laughing abruptly, coming to a halt at the landing at the top of the stairs. He turned right to go into Roy's bedroom, flicking on the light switch, which in turn activated several lamps in the room to burst into light. He gazed admiringly at Roy's ability to interior decorate, something which Maes never had the knack for and always felt somewhat envious of.

All of the furniture was constructed of a sleek dark wood, accented beautifully by soft, blood red cushioning. The pinnacle of Roy's decorating achievement had to be either his bed, or the window seat on the west side of the room. The bed was extravagant by itself, the same dark wood making up its frame and headboard, a plush, queen-sized mattress resting upon it. The same blood red covered it, a newer color in the Colonel's house, Maes registered, thinking it may have something to do with the color of clothing Edward preferred to wear. Thick velvet blankets were laid out on the bed, in blood crimson, with what appeared to be silky red sheets.

Maes placed the suitcase on the floor beside the bed, crossing the room to the window seat, his footsteps silenced by the black carpeting. He looked out the window, watching snowflakes gather like moths, trying to get to the exquisite warmth that was Roy's bedroom.

If he squinted while looking down, he could see his car, footprints slowly masked by the still-falling snow. A glimmer of gold caught his attention, he could barely make out the visual of Roy and Edward, for lack of a better phrase, ...making out. He giggled once more, bringing his hand to his forehead.

It really was amusing to see two people, who had once feuded and argued so frequently, with barely any time for casual conversation, now interrupting their time to talk with ferocious kissing.

He shook his head to rid himself of his giddiness, before departing Roy's room and heading back down the stairs, pausing briefly to look down the hallway at the remaining two doors. One was ajar, not the usual washroom, but the one Hughes had never seen opened, and never questioned until this moment. He peered inside, squinting through the darkness to see a shadowed silhouette of something large and by his scrutinisation of the texture, wooden. He scrabbled for a light switch along the wall, his fingers meeting the switch and flipping it up. A light sputtered to life, dusty and dim.

Hughes blinked, disbelieving what lay before his eyes.

A piano stood in the room, majestic even in its somewhat neglected state. It was a fallen royalty, glimmers of its past magnificence transcending time to reveal themselves through a drab countenance. No dust rested on the once brilliant keys, their faded white smooth and contrasting oddly with the parched wood that surrounded.

Several sheets of paper rested on the piano bench, with multiple cross-outs and ink blots. Hughes picked of the nearest piece, realising it was music paper, or whatever it was called, with a song written upon it manually. He curiously looked for a title, or the composer, wondering why on earth Roy would leave this lying around.

After shuffling through the stack, the bespectacled man came across what he deemed to be the first page, his emerald eyes widening as he read the title.

_Golden eyes._

He knew of only one person with golden eyes, the curvy writing leading him to identify the writer. It had to be Roy.

His heart seemed to flutter, never anticipating Roy to be so very _romantic_. He certainly concealed it well. He smiled happily, lost in a vision of Roy's strangely quixotic behavior in the past few days, hoping it would last in strength.

The sound of the door slamming shut knocked him out of his reflections, almost causing him to drop the papers. Hastily he replaced them on the bench, shutting the light off and rushing to the landing.

"Here, let me help you." Roy began untying the warm scarf around Edward's neck, supporting him as he swayed on the doormat. The teen's eyes were half-closed, his head bowed as he tried to maintain an upright position.

Sleep pressed on his eyes, pressuring him to rest again. He found soporific solace within Roy's scent in the hospital, now he was absolutely surrounded by it. It was bliss, pouring into him from all sides and instantly relaxing his worn body.

Hughes descended the stairs just as Edward fell forward, caught smoothly by Roy, who swept him up into his arms. Edward nodded in his sleep, mouthing words as his head lolled back and forth.

"Roy...I... Roy... love..." he mumbled, brushing his face on the older man's collar, his hair tickling his chin.

Hughes smiled at Roy, stepping aside for the Colonel to pass by him and trek up the stairs.

Stroking his beard thoughtfully, Hughes strode into Roy's living room, sinking down onto the long sofa and letting the calm earth tones of the room relax him.

He heard voices from up the stairs, figuring Edward must have awoken upon reaching the bedroom. The sound of Roy's chocolatey deep voice rumbled over the quiet mumbles of Edward's, Hughes noting the tender care even in their inaudibility.

Sighing once again, he leaned his head against the back of the couch, thinking he should really get back to Gracia and Elicia. The sound of Roy descending the stairs shook him from his straying thoughts, jerking him back into the present.

The raven-haired man shuffled slowly into the room, very nearly dropping onto the taupe armchair that was positioned opposite of the couch Maes sat upon.

"Happy to be home?" Maes smirked slightly, watching his friend closely.

Roy shifted into a normal sitting position, nodding as he rubbed his eyes. "I'm glad we made it here without any incident."

"You didn't trust me driving? Ye have little faith, Roy Mustang."

"No, I thought Edward might... I don't know, have a fit or something."

"He looked way too tired to have a fit tonight."

"I thought maybe a nightmare, but he slept soundly in the car."

Distractedly, the bespectacled man scratched his head, looking down.

"What?" Roy inquired, knowing what that stance meant.

"He didn't exactly sleep soundly." Maes hesitated, "He cried out for... you. He wasn't breathing properly, so I pulled over for a minute to make sure he was okay. I was just about to turn around and go back to the hospital, but, you, I guess, subconsciously knew something was wrong, and... well I'm not sure what you did, but it made him stop."

The Colonel stared at the coffee table, his midnight eyes drilling a hole in the dark surface.

"That was at about Maple and Crescent, so we didn't have far to go."

Roy made an incomprehensible noise, the hole in the coffee table bored straight through.

"You want some coffee?"

"Sure." The Colonel replied in a monotone, still diligently destroying the table with his unblinking stare.

After pausing to place his hand on his friend's shoulder, Hughes made his way to the kitchen and began preparing the rich dark coffee Roy so loved.

_He cried out for.. you._

_So even when he's in my arms I can't do anything for him? Is he still afraid, when I'm protecting him? Damn it, isn't there any way to make it stop? I just want him to be normal again, to not think about that every moment of his life._

Roy considered the fragments of the coffee table, thinking he should really ask Edward to fix it for him later. He pieced them back together shoddily in his mind's eye, gathering his rambling thoughts within the woodwork.

_'I'm not sure what you did, but it made him stop.'_

_I made him stop crying, how did I do that? The one time when I should have been paying attention, and I was asleep! _

A burst of frustration overcoming him, Roy stood up, kicking aside the remnants of his thoughts and stormed around the living room to the bay window behind the couch Maes had been previously occupying.

The snow fell with uneven confidence, in spurts of heavy to light bursts. It swirled around the windowsill like steam off a hot mug, resting against the multiple panes of glass. As if to cool his heat-oppressed brain, he leaned his head against the chilled glass, letting the smell of freshly brewing coffee permeate his senses.

He was so comfortable against the window, the coolness calming him as nothing else could. He had half a mind to fall to the dense carpet and sleep there on the floor, but thought better of it, striding lethargically to the side of the couch and collapsing on the brown surface.

His thoughts in turmoil settled their agitation, coming to a rest somewhere in the back of his mind. The leeway offered by the whirling thoughts' absence let his mind wander to his happiness about the situation. He could scarcely believe what had transpired after these horrible events, Edward loved him.

Doubt crept like a shroud over his glowing thoughts, cloaking them in disbelief. _What if he's only saying that because I'm the one who saved him?_ Self-contradiction countered this, _He said he loved me before._ The teen's words barreled through his mind, scattering the other thoughts away.

"_R-Roy? You know l l-love you, right?"_

_He loved me, and I caused him this pain. You don't do that to people you love... he would never allow this to happen to me. He would have done something. I was useless to him._

_But I could have stopped this, if I had just told him to go home. Go home, Edward. Why didn't I just say that? _

Roy stripped his long coat away from himself, tossing it over to the fireplace, narrowly missing the hearth.

"And we have the ambrosia of all working people!!"

Hughes returned, with two gargantuan mugs of coffee, placing them on the now-intact table. Gratefully, Roy reached for one, sipping quietly as he stared into the fireplace.

Abruptly, he snapped his fingers, flames bursting into existence in the previously darkened pit.

Hughes smiled in appreciation, his thoughts confirmed that he had been feeling a chill. Studiously, he watched the firelight dance upon Roy's midnight irises, making them almost golden.

Golden eyes. Maes grinned broadly, his expression changing as he noted the solemn one spread over Roy's visage.

"What are you thinking about?" the bespectacled man questioned, his own mug of coffee held in his lap.

"I wasn't there when he needed me the most. If I had made one different decision, that night, before he went to the library, none of this would have happened, none of this would have happened..." His voice grew progressively quieter, falling into silence by the last word, his final enunciation only mouthed.

"But what about the good things that happened? I know, he's been hurt, more than anyone could ever imagine. But he's with you now. He let you know he loves you, even though the circumstances he was faced with left him no other options for telling you. Think about it, do you really think he could have told you if he was never faced with the prospect of never being able to?"

"That was a long way around to make sense, Maes." Roy said thickly, letting the steam flow up into his mouth and nose, the scent almost intoxicating. The coffee seemed to have an inverse effect, making him more drowsy by the second. All he could think of now was his soft bed, and a good night's sleep next to Edward. Momentarily, he considered if Maes had put some sort of sedative in his drink, but concluded that he didn't, chalking his indolence up to relief and relaxation at finally being back home. Long days and rough nights at the hospital were somewhat of a shock to his regular military scheduling.

He was mildly aware of Hughes setting his mug on the table before reaching forward and taking Roy's before it slipped from his grasp, hauling the raven-haired man to his feet and guiding him to the staircase.

Before he was aware of it, Roy was sinking into his pillow, the rest of his body ready for sleep and positioned beside Edward in the large, velvet bed.

A hand brushed his forehead, followed by a murmur of something he couldn't quite understand. Using the last of his strength, he rolled over, taking the blonde's sleeping form in his arms, sighing in utter contentment.

He heard a door close.

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The concrete spread out underneath him, coated in multiple layers of blood. All over, the metallic sharpness stung his nose, sending a sense of immeasurable nausea deep somewhere internally.

He looked over, praying he would awaken, knowing this was a dream, that some mystical force was torturing him by making him relive those events night after night.

Tonight, it seemed something was different, he didn't feel nearly as afraid. He felt safe, confident, even though the setting persisted to challenge that.

What was different now? The absence of Tremblay was an obvious giveaway, but there was something else too. He turned his head to the other side, shock slapping him soundly across the face as he looked into the midnight eyes of the Colonel.

"Roy... you're here?" Happiness found its way into the short, strained phrase, embroidering the words with satin threads.

"Yeah, honey, I'm here."

"But how- You shouldn't...?"

Edward looked up, a sudden movement sighted in his peripheral vision. Tremblay advanced on the pair, a knife held high, a manic glint shining in his coal colored eyes.

"Roy, go! Get out of here! Run away!" Edward made to push the Colonel into getting up and escaping, but found he could not move at all. He was as frozen as the concrete, seeming to meld with it in temperature.

"Why won't you go!?" Edward demanded, breaking free of his unknown restraints and striking Roy sharply on the left arm.

Tremblay struck, stabbing Roy's unresponsive body over and over, blood spurting everywhere. It coasted through the air, soaking Edward completely.

He stared in stupefaction, blinking the crimson liquid from his eyes. He gasped like a fish out of water, his mouth opening and closing, with no intelligible sounds coming out.

"Roy..." he managed eventually, a cry forming on his lips, overpopulating his words with emotion.

The Colonel's body lay unmoving, covered in bloody gashes, each of them fatal in themselves. Together, they formed a mangled mess, gaping and ugly. The midnight eyes lost their starshine, covered by a blanket of cloudy death.

"No, no, wake up, Roy please, please... you can't die on me!!" Unexpectedly, he was granted movement once more, lunging forward and grabbing Roy's face, pulling the lifeless body closer to him.

"Wake up! Roy, wake up! WAKE UP!! Why... Why, damn it!!!" His words strangled, and left for dead, were forgotten in a wave of tears, parting a clean track down the thickly painted blood.

He screamed, his mind at a loss for anything else to do.

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Edward sat up, sweat rolling from every pore. Deep sustaining gasps of air were drawn into his lungs, tears pouring in time with his heart's frantic pace.

He looked around, at a loss for his location, recoiling in terror as he realised he was sitting in a large pool of blood. He collected himself, determining the 'blood' to be nothing more than velvet crimson blankets.

_Wait, where's Roy?_

Still unable to catch his breath, Edward remained silent, a frenetic fit overcoming him in his haste to locate the midnight eyed man. He ran his hand over the bedspread, hoping for it to meet with Roy's deliriously warm body. He ran into something cool and wet, bringing his hand away from it hastily. He examined his hand, noticing a deep red tint to whatever he had put his hand in.

_Blood._

Flashes of his nightmare burst into a jumbled mix of images, fusing reality with unadulterated terror. Roy lay in the bed, covered in deep agonising wounds, lifeless and still.

"No! Roy!!! Come back!! Wake up!!" Edward found his voice at last, clutching at the blankets where he supposed Roy was lying.

A thump sounded from outside the room, the Colonel rushed in, clad only in a pair of blue plaid pajama pants and carrying a roll of bandages.

"Edward, calm down! What's the matter?"

The blonde looked in awe at the completely well vision of Roy before him, tears of happiness welling up and mixing almost homogeneously with the rest of the moisture on his face. He clutched at his forehead, pulling on his bangs as he tried to understand to multitude of images pervading his brain. He choked out a sob, rocking back and forth.

"Hey, hey... it's okay now." Roy sank onto the bed, slowly reaching forward and taking the teen in his arms. Edward gripped him fiercely, his automail hand nearly crushing his upper left arm, aggravating the already opened wound.

"You- you were-" The teen could not bring himself to say it, his mind supplying the words, but his mouth unable to function. Roy shared some his pain, the tight grip on his bullet wound making him wince very visibly.

"Edward, let go. You're- hurting me."

Edward persisted to hold Roy close to him, the automail creaking with the strain. Roy exhaled sharply, a searing bolt of pain ricocheting through his system, involuntarily making him push Edward away. Blood smeared on the teen's metal hand as he fell back against the headboard of the bed, smacking his head against it with a loud _thwack_.

Horrified at what he'd done, the Colonel stared for a few seconds, his eyes wide in disbelief at his own actions. He regained himself, rushing forward and making to comfort the teen in some way. The blonde lay in the exact position he landed in, his head throbbing painfully, too terrified to move at all.

"Edward, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

Edward recoiled when Roy made to touch him, his golden eyes wary and hostile with fear. He stared penetratingly at the raven-haired man's apologetic face, as if asking why.

"_Come here, I won't hurt you."_

Roy's words from earlier in the night bit into Edward's fractured reality, tearing it apart as he realised it was a lie. Whimpering slightly, he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking as he drew his knees to his chest.

The blonde looked to the side, his eyes avoiding Roy completely, the frantic heat of his breath condensing on the bloodied automail. He felt hands caress his hair, moving to his tremulous body, trying to give comfort.

"Don't, don't... touch me." The hands' warmth disappeared immediately, leaving the teen alone and cold, lost in his fear. He felt cold all over, the frenzied beating of his heart the only way he was sure he was alive at all.

As he slowed himself, quieting his own tears, he heard tears of another kind, their location shuffling away from him. He looked up, watching Roy stumble out of the room, turning sharply and sitting down by the door.

_I'm sorry! I'm sorry Roy. Say it! Why won't I say it!!??_

"I'm sorry!!" burst Edward suddenly, fresh cries riding along with his voice. "Don't cr-cry!"

The sound of Roy's tears halted abruptly, a loud sniff taking its place as he stood up and turned, resting on the door frame. Their eyes met through the darkness, Roy's moving progressively closer as he strode back to his bed, sinking down on the edge beside Edward, tipping the blonde forward somewhat.

"I don't want you t-to cry, okay? I do that enough." Edward choked out a laugh, lifting his head and clearing his soaking hair from his eyes so he could look at Roy with new clarity.

Twin tears rolled from Roy's eyes, shining in the light from the hall.

"No, stop, I don't want you to hurt. I'm sorry..." Cautiously, he stretched his left arm out, his index finger brushing away the pearly tear. He ran his fingers over his own cheek, mixing the tears. "I'll cry for the both of us, so don't, okay?"

"I- Edward... I'm so sorry. I can't stop right now."

"Okay, go ahead, just this once." Roy leaned over, resting his head on Edward's chest, his tears flowing smoothly over the multiple layers of bandages.

"Thank you..."

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Woooo! That was a long chapter! Sorry for the late update, usually I try for Fridays but I had to sew my Halloween costume, so I was busy! I'm going as Femme!Edward. I think it's cool. **: p**

To my reviewers!

I love your insightful reviews! Really! When someone actually reviews and does a mini-analysis of it, is really a wonderful feeling for the writer! You know who you are, lovely reviewers!

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	15. Beauty

**Dead Line Chapter Fifteen- Beauty**

Eek! Halloween was so great! Except only one person knew who I was! Phooey! Oh well, he got a huge glomp because of it.

Femme Edward cosplay, Halloween 2007, SUCCESS! Lol

Enjoy!

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

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Sun crept over the top of the thick black curtains, a sliver of it falling directly across Edward's sleeping face. It shone in clear magnificence, disguising the bandages and bruises with its brilliance. He was clean and pure, no evidence of the brutal attacks he had suffered through apparent.

Roy watched him sleep carefully, studying every part of him that was uncovered by blankets or bandages.

His lips remained unblemished, still perfect and full, colored petal pink. They were parted only fractionally, shuddering shallow breaths trudging through them. The left side of his face was mostly unaffected, his cheeks flushed a bright pink, warming him as he healed. His left hand lay beside him, palm facing up, the defensive wounds and rope marks still biting into his flesh.

The Colonel stared at Edward's hand, taking in the gently curled form it took. He noticed, with a smile creeping over his face, that Edward bit his fingernails, the rough edges a dead giveaway. Briefly, Roy examined his own manicured nails, observing how perfect they were in comparison to the blonde's.

The teen shifted slightly, the sun now positioned directly over his eyes. A sigh escaped from his mouth, he moved his automail, the silver catching some of the sunbeam and shining with almost sublime effulgence. Roy was momentarily stunned by it, moving his gaze to Edward's chest, where the plushies of Alphonse and himself were positioned. The smile grew wider as he saw the plushie of himself was upside down, little military boots high in the air.

Quietly, the raven-haired man stood, padding over to the bedside, kneeling down and grasping Edward's hand within his own. He bowed his head, kissing the tip of each finger one by one, lastly placing a soft kiss in the teen's palm, letting his lips linger on the silken skin.

Without warning, the blonde's fingers began caressing the stubbled flesh of Roy's jawline, discovering every contour and marking them in some internal map. They cleared the short strands of hair from the side of the Colonel's face, tracing over his ear, and back to his lips.

Luckily for Edward, the moment he chose to open his eyes, the raven-haired man was blocking the sunlight that would have otherwise almost blinded him.

"Hey..." Roy said quietly, leaning closer to the blonde.

"Hey." breathed Edward, also leaning closer so their foreheads met.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Roy, tilting his head so he lay on the pillow.

"Okay, I guess..." The blonde winced, exhaling choppily.

"Do you want a painkiller?"

"No, no, I'll be okay. Ah..." Edward winced again, clutching his side.

"Here," Roy grabbed a glass of water and a small pill bottle from the nighttable, tipping a medium white pill into his hand and giving them both to Edward. The aureate eyed teen frowned slightly, but made no argument, swallowing the pill with a generous amount of water.

"Thanks..." he mumbled, easing back onto the bed.

Smiling kindly, Roy stood, walking around the bed and sinking down on the available side. "So what's your favorite breakfast?" he asked, rolling behind Edward.

Arching his eyebrow in confusion, the teen rolled to face the older man, finding himself almost nose to nose.

"What?"

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"What are my options?"

Roy placed his hand on his chin in mock thought. "Ohh, anything you want."

Edward closed his eyes while thinking, turning his head so Roy could see nothing but the bruised and cut side of his face.

Fleetingly, the raven-haired man felt a stab of revulsion, the multifarious wounds almost nausea inducing. He grimaced, before feeling disgusted with himself. How could he think of the golden teen in that way?

"Hmm, I think we should have a little of everything." Edward concluded, opening his eyes and turning back to face the older man. Noticing the expression on Roy's face, the blonde looked curious, "Hey, what's wrong?"

The Colonel cleared his face, shaking his head to brush away the thought, "No, nothing." He grinned, "A little bit of everything? What does that mean?"

"Oh, eggs, bacon, toast, juice, fruit, pancakes..." the teen thought for a moment more, before leaning forward slightly and placing a soft kiss on Roy's lips, the latter barely noticing in time to respond, "...kisses." finished Edward, snuggling up closer to the older man and nuzzling his face into the warm smooth skin of Roy's chest.

"That I can do." Roy chuckled slightly, moving his arm to embrace the teen closer to himself.

They lay in serene silence, there was no need for words.

"I've always wondered what this would be like..." breathed Edward, bringing his shivering body closer to Roy.

"Hm?"

"I always wondered how it would feel to be held like this. It's better than I thought. Like nothing is going to hurt me."

"Me too..." The Colonel admitted, "Like I don't need anything else in the world."

Edward pondered this for a moment, before concluding it was quite a monumental statement coming from Roy's promotion-driven mind. A chill ran down his body, he still could not manage to get warm.

"Hey..." Roy said gently, cupping his hand under Edward's chin and tilting it upward. He forced his lips on Edward's with such passion that the blonde's head moved backward slightly from the surprise. Their lips wrestled for control of the kiss, fluctuating against one another in perfect harmony. Lost somewhere in a tide of bliss, Edward reached forward sightlessly, his fingers entwining in the short strands of hair that fell behind Roy's ear. The Colonel's hands mimicked the teen's movements, wrapping around the auric hued bunches of hair to ensure that he could not escape.

The broke off simultaneously, gasping with pleasure. A small grin playing across his lips, Edward lunged forward again, his mouth meeting Roy's in a clash that seemed to resound off the walls, sonic booms shaking the foundations.

Tenderly, Roy's hands migrated from the back of Edward's head, down his back, halting abruptly at the top of his boxers. The blonde slowed his ferocious kissing, his face reddening as he suppressed his fear. Roy blinked slowly, studying Edward closely, determined to let him know he was safe, that nothing would hurt him.

The teen pecked Roy's lower lip, an obvious invitation to keep going; the raven-haired man proceeded, his fingers lifting the barrier to Edward's uncovered body.

A cold ticklish sensation greeted his stomach, automail fingers tugged at the waistband of the pajama pants. A brief glance was exchanged, carried from star to star across the galaxies between their eyes. They continued synchronously, removing all respective articles of clothing. Roy marvelled in the outright perfection of Edward's body, every muscle and limb perfectly proportioned.

Edward gazed in reasonable approval at what lay before him, trying to ignore the gnawing fear that was eating the inside of his chest away. He scooted closer on the bed, shoving the terror in a box and stomping it, sending it careening somewhere in the back of his mind. He felt a pressure against his leg, ignoring it to move still closer.

He jumped in alarm as the fear clawed holes in his flimsy box, sending tendrils of horror to all reaches of his mind, freeing a scourge of visions to run amok in his reality.

The raven-haired man began moving in a rhythmic motion, renewing his kissing of the teen, licking his lips, and tasting the delicate flavor. Inhaling deeply, Edward squeezed his eyes shut, holding his breath and praying it would stop.

_No, no, no. I can't. Please stop..._

Roy noticed this sudden change in mood, ceasing immediately.

"Edward, hey, hey calm down. We don't have to." the Colonel's voice was slow and soothing, like an anesthetic poured over Edward's emotional wounds.

The blonde rolled over, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and sighing intensely. "I'm sorry." he whispered, hugging himself with his shaking arms.

"It's okay, I understand."

"No, it's not okay." Edward said firmly, "I can't give you what you want. Because I'm too damn scared." Bitterness tethered his last words, tying them in a string of complicated knots.

He heard the shuffle of blankets, and felt Roy's beautifully warm hands massage his back.

"I want you to be ready, I want us both to be wholly prepared to do this. This is something two people share, not inflicted from one to the other."

Roy grabbed a handful of blankets, wrapping them over himself, and lifting them over Edward's exposed form. He propped his chin on Edward's shoulder, gazing at him through half-lidded eyes. The effect was something like velvet, soft and sweet. Edward returned the look, feeling the texture between his fingers.

"Okay? I'll wait, forever if I have to. Until you are completely ready. I promise."

Edward turned his head, kissing Roy gently on the side of the mouth, his love returned with vigor.

"I think..." Edward began, falling back onto the bed, Roy close beside him.

"What?"

"I think my body is ready, my mind just has to catch up."

"Well, there's no hurry. Take your time, and do it properly."

The blonde glanced over at his lover, closing his eyes in a thankful smile. "I love you..." he mumbled, his head sinking deep into the pillow.

"Love you more."

"Don't even start that."

Roy laughed in response, his low chuckle sending shivers down Edward's spine.

"You cold?" asked the Colonel, rubbing Edward shoulder blades, the chill of his skin confirming his question. He sprang from the bed, hurrying over to his closet and opening the door, peering inside.

The teen opened his eyes, grinning deviously as he watched Roy mull around in the closet, completely naked.

After a moment of perusal, the Colonel retrieved a long fluffy blue bathrobe, which he displayed for the younger of the two with an unnecessary flourish. "Does this look warm enough?"

"You don't want me to wear regular clothes, is that it?"

Roy sighed in defeat, "Ah, you got me."

"Okay, come here then."

The raven-haired man grinned, bounding across the room and jumping back into bed, the robe held aloft like a cape. He lay the thick blue fabric over their bodies, mixing the dark blue with the blood red of the blankets.

Yet another kiss was exchanged, this time cloaked underneath the deep blue robe, that smelled so strongly of the Colonel.

"Try this on, I find it's really warm."

With some help from Roy, the teen slipped into the robe, finding it was much too big, but it was intoxicatingly warm.

"Wow," he sighed, covering himself completely with the thick cloth.

"Yeah, I got this-"

The doorbell rang, a slow melodic noise.

Roy stood, stumbling to the door to go and answer his front door, when Edward called out, "I'm the only one who gets to see you naked, you know."

The Colonel blushed, turning around and showing himself off unintentionally to the blonde. He yanked a couple blankets from the bed, wrapping them around his waist and hurrying out the door as the bell rang several times in succession as whoever was waiting grew more impatient.

He prayed it wasn't important as he stumbled down the stairs, gathering the blankets around him in a sort of wonky toga, a grumpy look spreading across his face as he realised whoever it was was interrupting his time to be with Edward when the blonde wasn't incredibly upset.

He opened the door and almost received a punch to the face as his visitor had abandoned the use of the doorbell and had resorted to knocking. Not to any surprise, the grinning face of Maes Hughes greeted him, along with his daughter, who smiled widely at the Colonel.

"Good morning! How's it going today?" Hughes said loudly, pushing his way in the house. Roy stood back, clutching the blankets tightly around his waist and hoping they wouldn't fall.

"Good morning, Uncle Roy." Elicia curtseyed, holding a small bouquet of yellow flowers and what appeared to be a hand-made card.

Roy mumbled a response, closing the door against the brisk winter air, goosebumps painted all over the broad canvas of his back.

"What are you wearing, Uncle?" Elicia questioned, eyeing the blanket improvised toga suspiciously.

"That's what he wears to bed, honey." explained Hughes, giving Roy a knowing glance. His sparkling emerald eyes seemed to say, _I know what you di-id _in some horrible sing-song voice.

"Oh, okay." Elicia readily accepted this, smiling cutely up at Roy, "Do you wear anything under that, Uncle?"

The Colonel let his mouth fall open, looking to Maes for help of some kind.

"Um, hey, Elicia-chan... didn't you bring something for Uncle Roy?" Hughes cooed at her, distracting her from her question, much to the very flustered Colonel's relief.

"Yeah!" she held out the fistful of yellow flowers and the card, offering them to Roy, who took them with one hand, the other holding up his only means of concealment. "It's for Edward too." she elaborated, pointing to the crayon drawing of Roy holding Edward.

Roy opened the card, grinning at the crayon representations of him and Edward holding hands with a lopsided heart around them, large smiles plastered on their faces. A sunshine was bright yellow, and appeared to be with the same color crayon as Edward's hair. Flowers grew in waxen strokes around their feet, in descending rainbow colors.

The raven-haired man decided right there that he was going to buy a warehouse full of crayons for the young girl.

"Thanks Elicia." 

"You're welcome, Uncle!"

"Why don't we go sit in Uncle Roy's nice living room while he goes and gets Edward, Elicia, honey?"

_Honey... my honey, Edward._

"Roy?"

Roy jerked out of his meandering thoughts, nodding and dashing towards the stairs. His blanket slipped fractionally, and Elicia giggled.

Blushing a very nice magenta color, Roy bolted up the stairs, yanking the blankets back up around himself.

Crossing the threshold of the room, Roy walked in on Edward pulling on his black pair of boxers. He got a brief glimpse of what the blonde was covering up, a blood rush coursing through him, coloring his visible skin the same as his face.

"Maes is here, and he brought Elicia too."

"Yeah I heard you talking." Edward pulled the dark blue robe more securely around himself, clutching the fabric together at his throat, covering up the bandages.

"Do you have a turtleneck sweater I can wear?" he asked, his self-consciousness apparent.

The raven-haired man hesitated, wondering if he should try to dissuade the teen from his self-disgust, but decided to spare him the lecture, his contrariness melted by the piteous gaze from those aureate irises into puddles of sympathy, in which the blonde seemed to have a knack for falling face-first in.

"Sure, it's red though."

"That's okay."

Roy threw the blankets back on the bed, strolling to his closet fully naked for a second time. He turned after a moment with an armful of clothes, tossing Edward the sweater.

After getting dressed, they made their way down the stairs, where Elicia and Hughes were walking back in the front door, their arms full of groceries.

"Um, what are you doing?" questioned Roy, halting on the bottom step, Edward behind him, brushing his hair over the cuts on his face.

"Your kitchen didn't have anything to eat, leastways, nothing that wouldn't kill you twenty minutes after you ate it. So I picked up some groceries on the way here." Maes reached into one of the bags he was holding, waving a package wrapped in brown paper, "I got melon bread, Edward!"

Edward chuckled, a smile widening his lips. "Thanks."

"Well, let's go and put this away, shall we?" The bespectacled man led his daughter through the living room and into Roy's compact kitchen, where they proceeded to unload the bags and put things in their places, completely at ease with the task as they had done it so many times previous when the Colonel neglected to supply himself with food.

The remaining two walked into the living room, Roy indicating Edward to sit down on the sofa while he oversaw the free stocking of his kitchen.

Edward looked around, rubbing his shoulder for warmth before discovering there was a fireplace flickering feebly, tiny embers glowing like faeries' eyes in the soot.

He knelt down beside the hearth, gathering some of the ash from the pit, and began forming a small transmutation circle with it, fashioning the fine grey dust into an exact replica of the sigil embroidered on Roy's gloves. He touched it gently with the tips of his fingers, alighting the fire once more, a tide of heat washing over him, filling his lungs and heating him from the inside out.

He sat down as the rest of the group came in and sat down on the various furniture, Maes taking the armchair and Elicia and Roy sitting on either side of Edward on the long couch.

"Hi, big brother!" Elicia scooted closer to Edward, hugging his metal arm lovingly. "I missed you! What have you guys been doing?"

"Nothing much, lately. Lots of laying around and drawing."

_...Kissing._

"Don't you do anything else?"

"Well, yeah. But noth-"

"Do you guys kiss each other?"

_Can she read minds???_

Edward gaped, completely thrown by this statement. He managed three consecutive vowel sounds before going silent. Maes roared with laughter, pointing at the teen's face.

"Yes, Elicia we do." Roy leaned around Edward's shocked form, tilting the blonde's face towards him and locking lips, prompting a giggle and a clap of delight from the young girl.

"Wow! You're a good kisser, Uncle Roy!" She noticed with a frown falling a cross her face, the long cuts across the blonde's face, as his hair fell back from Roy's kiss, "Ah, Ed! What did you do to your face?"

The teen hastily brushed his hair back over the evidence of his attack, blushing magenta. "It's nothing, Elicia, just a scrape or two." His voice was hollow-sounding, not convincing Elicia otherwise whatsoever.

"I want to see..." she placed her hand on Edward's real one, her blue eyes staring into his one visible golden. "May I?"

Edward obliged after a lengthy pause, brushing hair behind his ear and pointedly looking down.

The young girl observed the deeply scarred side of Edward's face in awe, her tiny fingers reaching up and feeling the texture of the semi-healed wounds. Slowly, her fingers worked over all of the lacerated skin, lingering on each one. Coming across the bruised and colored skin around his eye, her mouth opened a little wider, wonder taking over as she took in the unique colors.

After completely defining the texture of each cut, she placed on hand on both sides of the teen's face and pulled his closer to her. He looked at her curiously, still trying to shake his hair back over the marred flesh.

"You're pretty, big brother. You're a pretty pretty boy." She kissed him on the nose, releasing him at last. His blush lingered as he sat back, still feeling the girl's fingers going over the cuts.

Roy and Maes looked on, unsure of what to do. Abruptly, Maes stood, a broad smile overtaking his confused face. "Elicia dear, will you come help me make breakfast? I don't think that they've eaten yet." He held out his hand, his daughter following immediately. They went to the kitchen, discussing what they would make.

"Ed, honey? Are you okay?" Roy asked in a a low voice, still aware of the others.

"She's wrong, you know. I know this sounds like I'm vain, but I'm not. I'm not pretty at all."

"Edward..."

The blonde got up, exiting the room into the hallway beside the stairs, his hair fluttering behind him, successfully stupefying the Colonel.

Fresh tears worked down his face, he hated himself for them. Why should he be so upset over not being perfect and beautiful?

_Stop crying, it's a stupid thing to cry about._

Visions of what lay underneath the bandages pushed forward, altering his sight to show deep ugly wounds, vivid and hideous. It made his skin crawl, thinking he would have to reveal them soon, he couldn't hide underneath the bandages any longer.

He slid down the wall, covering his face with the automail hand, the metal cooling his face and numbing it, for a moment allowing him to pretend the disfigurements didn't exist. Another wave of tears surfed out of his eyes, succeeding a shake of the head and a strong self-reprimandation.

_Stop crying. So what if I'm not beautiful. Roy loves me anyway. _

Edward peeked back into the living room, taking in the sight of Roy bent over on the couch, his head in his hands.

_But would he love me more if I wasn't so ugly?_

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So thats Chapter Fifteen. Sorry if it dragged. Writer's block to the nth degree here. I did the best I could. --" sigghhhh.

Anyway.

Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I think I shall start offering up donuts for you reviewers who leave huge amounts of writing in your reviews! I've seen oneshots shorter than some of those past reviews! LOL

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	16. Carry

**Dead Line Chapter Sixteen- **

Ahaha! That's how old I am! Ahahahahaa! I never thought i would make it this far! -holds up pint of Tombstone Digs' finest ghost rum- four cheers for at least four more!

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Roy? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Roy nodded, placing his dish on the counter and walked over to where Maes stood, looking very serious.

Edward and Elicia remained at the square table, still eating the pancake breakfast the Hughes' had concocted. The two older men migrated to the living room, Hughes pulling his friend close and speaking in hushed tones.

"Are you guys ready for today?"

"What?"

"Edward has been called as a witness in Tremblay's court case today. Did you forget?"

The Colonel swore, looking hastily back at the younger two. "I don't think he can do it. He was hallucinating about it just last night. And then I-"

Maes scrutinised Roy's expression carefully, finding deep sorrow and regret in the midnight depths.

"I pushed him away. He was crushing my arm, and I pushed him away, Maes!"

"I'm sure he knows you didn't mean it, he looks fine now."

"He faking it. How long have we known him? You can tell when he's hiding his sadness, I know you can. It's always after he smiles, there's something there."

"I know-"

"And it's my fault. He doesn't trust me the same way anymore. I can tell."

"What were you doing this morning?"

"Wh-what?"

Hughes hesitated, searching for the right words, "Were you two... close this morning?"

Roy reddened, turning his eyes downward, "Yes."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. He obviously trusts you enough to let you see him, all of him. That takes more trust and faith then you will ever know. Especially for him. He never allows himself to get that close to anyone. It's cruel that he could only manage to do that after all of this."

"And you want to make it worse by making him go up on the stand?" Roy lowered his voice, "Tremblay will be in that room, I don't think Edward can handle that."

"If he knows you're there for him one hundred percent, I think he'll be fine."

"I don't know-"

"Big Brother! Are you okay?" Elicia's shrill, scared voice cut through the older men's conversation, causing them both to turn in alarm to see what was the matter.

Edward was backed up against the wall, his golden eyes wide in petrification; his arms wrapped tightly around himself as he shuffled back, feet sliding on the floor as he couldn't move any farther back.

Roy and Hughes darted back into the kitchen, taking in the scene of Elicia looking like she was going to cry, as she watched Edward sink down the wall in his fear, his eyes locked on the long serrated knife on the counter.

Maes stuffed it out of sight, the blade glinting wildly in the multifaceted light fixture attached to the ceiling. The teen whimpered slightly at the object's movement, shrinking back into the corner of the kitchen, shaking tremulously. He gripped his head tightly, his hands threatening to crush the memories right out of his skull.

_Several knives lay on the floor, coated with blood from ages of torture. Edward eyed them fearfully, feeling the sharp sting of each of them carving his flesh, freeing torrents of blood to mix on the floor, an ocean in which he could drown. Strike after strike repeated in his mind, flashes of silver shining in his mind's eye._

Hands braced his shoulders, a soft weight transforming into a firm squeeze.

"It's over. It's all over. You're okay now."

The gentle voice was thrown most unceremoniously into the confused mix of his thoughts, a jumble of sounds and images overloading his brain. The only course of action his mind could manage at this point was to shut down, his body giving way to the clear, clean darkness of unconsciousness.

Edward fell forward suddenly, his entire body going limp. The raven-haired man caught him smoothly, cradling the teen's suddenly quiet form within his embrace.

Quietly, Hughes regarded the teen, all at once realising the truth behind Roy's arguments. The teen looked so small and fragile in Roy's arms, like fragments of shattered glass the Colonel treasured but could not take in his hands too firmly or they would become but dust.

Holding a great deal of care, Roy's lips brushed the half-scarred surface of the blonde's forehead, sending unspoken love into the teen's skin.

"I don't think he can do this, Maes." the Colonel mumbled, stroking Edward's hair absent-mindedly.

"I agree, but he was called as a witness, the court ordered it."

"Tell them to forget it."

"It doesn't work that way."

"I won't subject him to that."

Hughes went silent at Roy's tone, rubbing his daughter's shoulder bracingly as she stared at the unconscious blonde.

"Is big brother asleep?" she asked, looking at her father for an answer.

"He's fainted because he got really scared, things like knives scare him really badly now, so don't let him see them, okay?"

"Uncle Roy?"

"Yes?"

"Always make sure you're around big brother, he needs someone to catch him when he falls."

The two differently shaded colors of blue irises met, Roy nodded, feeling Edward stirring in his arms.

Immediately, he sat the teen up from his horizontal position in his lap, standing him up and half-dragging, half-carrying him to the living room, Hughes jumping in to help halfway through. They laid him down on the sofa; Elicia retrieved a blanket from the small linen closet in the hall, draping it carefully over Edward's sleeping form.

"We gotta get going, Gracia is expecting us." Hughes said quietly, still watching Edward carefully.

The young girl placed a kiss on Edward's damaged cheek, hugging him awkwardly before following her father and grabbing his outstretched hand.

They busily put their coats on, Hughes leaning in as Elicia struggled with her remaining mitten.

"Would you like me to tell them you guys aren't coming?"

Roy looked back at Edward's twitching form, his eyebrows creasing. "Would Tremblay be given the death sentence if Edward went up there and testified?"

"More than likely." 

"I won't say yes or no. I'll ask him, tell him exactly what's going on, and we might show up." 

"It starts at three, okay?"

Roy looked at the clock above the living room door, two fifteen..

"Daddy, my mitten won't go on right!"

Hughes clapped Roy on the shoulder supportively, before turning and kneeling to help Elicia with her mitten issue.

The door closed with a loud thump, shaking some snow off the window frames. Roy watched the Hughes' make their way to the car, sliding on the icy walkway. He let the curtain fall, turning back to the sofa where Edward was just sitting up, bleary eyed and smacking his lips.

"Wha-? Whremi?"

He shook his head, looking around, his eyes meeting the midnight irises of Roy's as the older man drew closer.

The Colonel knelt down at the side of the couch, reaching forward and pulling the blonde close to himself with a rustle of fabric.

Edward made a small noise of surprise, before sinking into the deliriously warm depths of Roy's embrace. He got the feeling the older man needed this hug far more than he at this point, his arms tightening across the broad expanse of Roy's back. Leaning more into the hug, he braced Roy's head against his left shoulder with his hand, rubbing he dark locks.

"Edward..." Roy began, faltering slightly.

"What is it?" asked the teen, twirling the ebony strands of hair around his finger.

"There's something you have to do, but I don't want to ask you to do it."

"Tell me."

His order was definitive, almost final sounding, as if there was nothing that would surprise him or faze him at this point. Roy felt no desire to hesitate, or find a soft way to let the teen fall, choosing only to outrightly tell him, obeying the no-nonsense tone of voice.

"You have to go on the stand at General Tremblay's trial today, you've been called as a witness."

Edward remained silent, his breath warm against Roy's collarbone.

"Edward?"

"O-okay." the blonde managed eventually. "Okay."

"You're sure? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"If I go up there and say it was him, he'll go away, won't he? He won't be here." Edward tapped his left temple, drawing away enough to look Roy in the eyes. "I can still hear him, see him... feel him."

His cheeks reddened as he looked down hastily, unable to release his shame at what had been done to him. "I want him to go away."

Roy sighed, leaning forward and resting his forehead against Edward's.

"I'm sorry." he breathed, lifting his head and kissing the teen's forehead. He felt a tugging at his shirt, realising Edward was clinging to him, but was careful not to squeeze the older man's body.

All at once, the raven-haired man understood the extent of his actions the previous night, the resounding sound of Edward's head hitting the wooden headboard meandering through his mind, making a mockery of his care for the teen. He pulled away, his suddenness making the teen flinch very visibly. Metal and flesh hands simultaneously lunged over the top of golden hair, protecting himself in case he was attacked again.

Roy stood in shock, emotion overflowing his unsteady body, threatening to wash all over the floor. Edward hesitantly looked up, his auric eyes closing in relief as all he saw before him was the very rigid form of the Colonel, staring at him, eyes wide.

The teen stood, shaking his head slightly, reaching forward and tugging at the older man's shirt. His hands worked over Roy's arms, massaging the stiffness away. The raven-haired man stared forward, unable to look at the blonde who was desperately trying to comfort him.

_What's wrong with this picture? I should be the one comforting him, not the other way around. _

"We have to go soon..." he mumbled, making to pull away, but halted, the pleading look in Edward's eyes freezing him.

Edward looked up at him, wetness overpopulating his eyes. "Are you mad at me?" he asked, his flesh hand still clutching Roy's wrist.

More surprised than before, the raven-haired man gaped, disbelieving what the teen had just asked.

"No, no, Edward." He took the blonde within his arms, "I just don't want to hurt you."

"You won't do it on purpose. Besides, I'm on enough painkillers right now, I really can't feel anything."

Roy regarded him silently, fingering his hair. "You are going to testify?"

"Yes. And I know you don't want me to. I heard you tell Hughes. I'm going to do it, so that this will be over, I don't like seeing you upset. If I make him go away, you won't be upset any more, right? You can smile and mean it." 

_He's doing this so I stop being upset? _

"Okay, let's go. It starts in half an hour, and we're a fair way from the court houses."

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Snow was beginning to fall in generous amounts, buffeted here and there by a gentle wind. Two figures hurried up the courthouse stairs, both clad in scarves and toques, the taller of the two holding the other close to himself.

They burst through the doors, letting the warmth from inside heat them up. Roy hastily looked at his watch, two fifty-six.

"Ahh, we barely made it." he kicked off his boots, placing them neatly on the boot rack beside Edward's more messy placement of his winter shoes. "C'mon we're in Court Two."

The blonde followed without a word, biting his lip, his heart beating wildly as he anticipated his closeness to Tremblay. Sensing the teen's fear, Roy turned, stopping directly in front of Court Two.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking Edward squarely in the eye.

The teen studied Roy's expression, calculating every emotion hidden under the calm facade.

"I'm going to end this..." he brushed the midnight-eyed man's cheek, fingers like icy tapers. "...for you."

They stepped through the doors, Edward huddling in close to Roy's chest; Roy placed his arm over Edward's shaking shoulder, holding him tightly and maneuvering through the crowd. At last they found two empty seats, a small distance away from the bustling crowd. Several people looked at them curiously, before taking their seats. A teenager with dark brown hair shuffled beside Roy, sitting beside him.

A sharp sound of wood striking wood signalled the crowd to settle down and find a seat. Edward flinched at the sound, burying his face in Roy's scarf, it was still damp from the melted snowflakes, cooling his flushed face.

As the general hubbub was subsiding, the teenager leaned in, whispering to the Colonel. "I am Cael Tremblay, you're Roy Mustang, right?"

Roy nodded, holding Edward tighter at the mention of the name.

"My uncle is the one on trial today. I'm going to testify against him all the way. Is... is he going to too?" Cael looked meaningfully at Edward's shaking form, his brown eyes displaying nothing but sympathy.

"Yes..." Roy blinked, recognising Cael at last. "You were the boy from the warehouse, so you must have-"

"We will now commence the court trial for General Tilas Tremblay, under the following charges:"

Roy searched around for where the General was located, guessing he must be somewhere up near the judge's podium. He was immensely glad he had found a seat near the back, somewhere where Edward wouldn't have to see the man who had tortured him.

He rubbed Edward's hair soothingly, causing the blonde to look at him at last, lip quivering. "There's too many people in here..." he said quietly, ignoring the proclamation of all of Tremblay's deeds. "They're going to..." he broke off, shuddering, hiding his face in the folds of Roy's coat and scarf once more. Roy looked to the front once more, paying more attention to the proceedings.

"...first degree murder, on nine counts, aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, and torture the likes of which I see of no human capacity. How do you plead?"

A smirking, scratchy voice cut through the silence, making Edward hold on tighter to the fabric of Roy's coat.

"Not guilty."

"Very well, the state calls Edward Elric as a witness. Is he present?" Roy gasped, not anticipating the trial to be so quick about calling Edward up.

"Edward, honey, you have to go now." he whispered, standing up, and pulling the teen up with him. They crossed the path of Cael, Edward surveying him with harsh golden eyes. The brunette teen swallowed, looking away.

Slowly, they made their way up the aisle, Edward avoiding all the eyes that stared as he stumbled to the front of the court room. Someone chuckled, he looked to see the source of the laugh, meeting the mud brown eyes of General Tremblay.

A nauseating feeling was stirred up deep in his stomach, fear picking pieces merrily away from his resolve. He felt a hand touch his chest, straightening him up.

"Are you prepared to testify today, Major Elric?" the judge scrutinised him carefully over thick glasses.

"Y-yes." he stammered, breaking free of Roy's careful touch and limping to the stand, shakily climbing the four stairs to the testimonial platform. Roy walked back to his seat swiftly, earning stares from more than one person. Cael bit his lip, watching Edward apprehensively.

A thick book was held out to him, the bailiff motioning for him to place his hand on it. Edward furrowed his brow as he noticed the book was a bible, refusing to place his hand on the cover.

"Do you solemnly swear to tell, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I will swear to... the state." Edward said quietly, barely audible to the courtroom.

"Begin questioning." the judge commanded.

A severe looking lawyer stood, placing his hand out in front of Tremblay who looked as if he were going to comment.

"Mr. Elric, you seem to be recovering well. No doubt having such a caring individual look after you is a great help." the lawyer spoke with a note of derision, as though scoffing at the Colonel's care.

Edward remained silent, searching the crowd for Roy's familiar features. He could not see them, lost in the huge crowd of people. A vice tightened around his heart, chilling his blood.

"It says here you were taken by General Tremblay on the night of October first, but escaped the next day. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Could you describe what you experienced while in the South Harbour Warehouse?"

"He- he beat me, and cut me... and..."

"And?" prompted the lawyer, arching a thin eyebrow.

"He raped me."

Audible gasps and mutterings broke out, the entire courtroom expressing their shock. A few bangs on the gavel silenced them, the judge waved his hand for the lawyer to continue.

"Are you positive that it was General Tremblay who sexually assaulted you? It can be a traumatic experience, you could easily have mistaken him for someone else."

"No-"

"And what if you're only trying to cover up the blame on who really did it, someone who was alone with you prior to anyone else. Isn't it possible that Colonel Mustang is the one who sexually assaulted you?"

"Objection!" Another voice joined the scene, cutting through a renewed burst of mutterings among the crowd. The voice that raised to objection was female, sharp and loud.

Edward reeled, his brain creating imaginary images of his attack, a third-person view showing Roy in the General's place. He shook his head, shaking his reality, distorting the room into a kaleidoscope of splintered truths.

He searched through the haze for some glimmer of salvation, finding only disorder and confusion.

"No, no! Roy wouldn't, he would never!" he cried, clutching his head to stop the visions from spinning. They ceased abruptly, a firm vision of the Colonel beside him, completely exposed.

"_This is something two people share, not inflicted from one to the other." _

His breathing shallow and irregular, Edward looked up, seeing the maliciously grinning face of the General.

"Woof woof, little dog! He's trained you well!!"

The voice was a hammer that came down rapidly upon Edward's fragmented reality, cracking the already fractured pieces. They shattered in one fell blow, brilliant colors of horror painted on the shards, slicing at his conscious fabric.

"Obey your master!! Do everything he tells you!!"

He felt the sensation of falling, followed by the sudden meeting of body to floor. Swirls of color faded to black, cloudy over his mind.

"Edward!"

"Order! Calm down! Colonel Mustang! This is a courtroom! There will be no violence-"

Edward relaxed, reaching out, his ears no longer working to supply him with information. He saw, at last, the very worried face of the raven-haired man close to his, lips moving, but not making sense. He felt himself leave the ground, lifted into someone's arms, someone that smelled of charcoal and something spicy.

He was jolted, and blackness reigned supreme.

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"-was a complete madhouse, of course it settled down after a few people were sent out. Havoc and Breda are facing a tentative suspension hearing now. You should have seen how mad they were. And the whole time, Riza was trying to stop them from attacking Tremblay, but I wouldn't doubt she would have shot him, given the chance."

"What about Tremblay?"

"Oh hell, it was unanimous in about five minutes, the jury wants that bastard dead. His little taunting display was what convinced them, a mixed bag, really. I hope he wakes up soon."

A long pause followed, when Roy spoke up again.

"He's on death row then?"

"Slated for next Tuesday."

"..Good."

Another pause.

"Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? You looked ready to kill in there. I've never seen you lose yourself like that. How are you doing?"

"I'm... I'm still scared for him. He's going to be so messed up from that... I didn't want him to go in there! And he said he was going to do that for me! He didn't want me to be upset anymore, so he went in there and..."

"And made it possible for you both to move on."

This time, an uncomfortable silence filled the room, a swelling balloon that could burst at any moment.

"At what expense? His own stability and strength? You saw how terrified he was. I've made it worse, he'll never sleep properly again, with the nightmares, and all these drugs they have him on, and- and..." Without warning, Roy burst into tears, hiding his face in his hands. "And it's all my fault!! God dammit... I know it, he knows it! What if he never gets better!? What if he dies because of me!? He's practically screwed for the rest of his life! No one forgets something like this! I've seen wars, death all around me! That doesn't even compare!"

"He doesn't blame you."

"He doesn't have to! I blame myself! Someone has to take responsibility for this, and I'm not going to make him carry any more!"

"Stop it." a new voice interrupted Roy's self-reprimandations, Edward sat up, realising he was in Roy's living room, stretched out on the sofa once again. "Quit blaming everything on yourself. I don't want to hear it anymore. Don't even think it. You're wrong."

Roy hung his head, slumping down into the large armchair. The room was dark, save for a cheerfully burning fire in the fireplace, casting shuddering light across the three people in the room. It danced across Hughes' glasses, making the lenses almost opaque.

"Please... I did that so you would see that it was him, you had no blame in what happened."

"But I-"

"Because I love you. I don't want to see you sad."

Hughes smiled, stepping forward and placing his hand on Roy's shoulder, "Me either." He bent down, placing a kiss on the raven-haired man's forehead. "I gotta go, Gracia expected me home hours ago."

Roy nodded, tears still wet on his eyelashes.

Smiling reassuringly, Hughes left, waving a goodbye to Edward, who returned the smile, however half-heartedly.

The door closed once more, Edward turned back to Roy's despondent shape, weakly reaching his left arm out, beckoning the man to come closer. The Colonel obliged, kneeling down beside the sofa.

"We should go to bed..." whispered the teen, his hand resting on Roy's chest.

"Yeah... can you walk?"

"You could drop your guilt so you can carry me." the blonde said quietly, his eyelids heavy, an almost unbearable burden.

"I'll throw it out."

"Good."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

... Woo! That was difficult! The courtroom scene was EVIL!!

Oh, also... apparently "toque" is a specifically Canadian word? For those who don't know, a toque is a winter hat. -shifty eyes- Well, I didn't know if some of my readers would know! But I didn't want to say winter hat because it was just weird in the sentence. Yeeeah.

Oh, and the "beauty" story arc will continue next chapter. Bring a tissue box.

Love and kisses,

meganekko

Ps. My mom thinks you guys deserve cupcakes for reviewing and I quote "There's something special about cupcakes."


	17. Fire

**Dead Line Chapter Seventeen-**

Holy geez I can remember writing just Chapter Seven up there, add a "teen" and here we are, ten chapters later! Thank you so much for your reviews, I was blushing so hardcore in art while reading them.

... Bwa ha ha. Today is my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

Ps. The tissue box I mentioned in the last chapter will most assuredly be used for sad tears. Just so you know.

--lemon!

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The sound of a heart beating filled his ears, loud and rapid. He raced down hallway after hallway, each visual a repetition of preceding ones.

"Stop it!! Get off me!"

Roy halted, Edward's voice ringing in his throbbing ears. He stared down the hallway, a tall black door looming up before him, racing at him suddenly, the doors flinging wide, letting tendrils of darkness seep in, tentacles pulling at the pristine white of the hallway.

Without thinking, Roy leapt through the double doors, finding himself in a very similar hallway, this one lined with doors. Frantically he opened the nearest one, peering inside. A wave of blood churned inside, noticing a space in which it could flow freely. The raven-haired man slammed the door shut, splattering some blood on the once-clean hallway.

Edward was through one of these doors, he was certain, it was just a matter of finding the right one.

Hesitantly, he opened the next door, his fingers unconsciously grabbing a long red ribbon that was tied to the knob. He pushed through, the sound of screaming heightening as he crossed the threshold.

Blood smeared on the floor, the door on the opposite wall ajar, leading the way along the streaky path of blood, which looked as if someone had been dragged through it.

A clock began ticking, normally at first, the sound hastening to an almost deafening roar. The Colonel covered his ears, the red ribbon now accompanied by a bloodstained braid.

He hurried through another door, unsure of where he was going, recklessly barreling towards door after door, knocking several from their hinges.

A weight dropped into his pocket, the ticking clock amplifying.

The screams stopped abruptly, halting everything else into silence. The scene changed, and Roy was in the middle of a decrepit and bloody warehouse.

"Roy..."

The raven-haired man turned, his eyes widening as he saw Edward tethered up, bound by metal to heavy and numerous crates. Blood poured from countless wounds like fountains, washing in an ankle-deep sea around Roy's feet. Splashing slightly, he ran to Edward's side, busying himself with unfastening the barbed wire restraints.

"You're too late..."

"No no, I'm here now."

"You can't be..."

Black dimmed his sight, suddenly he was in the sterile hallway again, barred by no exits or entries.

"What do you think, Mustang? Do you like my new dog?"

General Tremblay stood before him, holding a leash that tugged on a sturdy collar wrapped around Edward's neck. The teen's mouth was agape, his eyes closed in some unconscious manner.

"Come dog." Tremblay tugged on the leash, yanking Edward into alertness, he looked up seeing Roy at last.

"Roy! Roy help me! Please!!" He snagged the Colonel's sleeve, his grip failing.

Roy remained frozen in place, unable to move. Upon looking down he discovered the ribbon and pocketwatch chain had entwined themselves around his body, elongated by some supernatural means and fastened in place by the bloodstained braid.

Tremblay persistently dragged Edward away; a door burst open somewhere behind them, blood spilling into the corridor, ruby red. The teen, closest to the floor, was immediately engulfed by it, drowning in the crimson liquid. Coughing, he emerged, drenched completely.

"Help me!! Why won't you help me!?? Don't you care!!??"

"I can't! I'm useless!"

"Roy! HELP ME!!"

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The Colonel sat up with a start, cold sweat drenching him as the blood did Edward. Breathing heavily, he looked round at the sleeping form of the blonde teenager, who was still and peaceful.

Moonlight filtered into the room through a space in the curtains, a streak of pure white scarring the crimson bedspread. Relaxing slightly after fully confirming his reality, Roy flopped back on to the bed, wiping his face to clear away the sweat. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes, praying for Edward to have an undisturbed sleep.

His brief vigil of requesting peace was unsuccessful, however. The teen, upon closer inspection, was shaking slightly, tears rolling out of his closed eyes onto the pillow he was clutching tightly.

The Colonel rolled, taking the blonde's quivering body in his arms, realising once again how intensely cold he was. The blankets were unintentionally commandeered by the older man, barely a corner left for Edward. The teen clung to the one corner, desperate to squeeze any inkling of warmth from the scarlet velvet.

Berating himself for his subconscious greed, Roy unwrapped the tangled blankets from around his body and cloaked them around Edward's, feeling the blonde relax under the restoring heat. Edward's automail hand fell down beside him, the steel creating a frozen barrier between their two bodies. Roy lifted it gently, not wanting to disturb his sleep. As soon as the chilling metal was expelled from close to Edward's body, he seemed to lose stiffness, becoming pliant and limp, as he should look while sleeping, as opposed to his usual countenance.

_Please, just let him sleep. Leave him alone..._

Exhaustion propelled Roy into another deep slumber, the comfort magnified by the fact that he was holding Edward close to himself, warmth spilling in untethered waves between them, a synchronous tide ebbing and rushing as their chests rose and fell in harmony.

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The phone rang with increased suddenness and severity due to the fact that it had awoken Roy from a very deep slumber. He jerked awake, out of the bed before he fully comprehended why.

Mildly flustered, he answered the incessantly ringing telephone, greeting whoever was on the line with a groan and a "Melow?"

"Colonel Mustang? This is Doctor Thomas."

Roy straightened, giving his head a quick shake. "Oh, hello." he yawned, covering the mouthpiece of the phone with his hand.

"I'm phoning to tell you that Mr. Elric is allowed to remove his bandages today. You can come in if you like, or take them off yourself, whichever you prefer."

Blinking slowly as he absorbed this, his senses still dulled from his lethargy, Roy replied after a lengthy pause. "I don't want to take him anywhere right now, yesterday-"

"Yes, I heard about the fiasco at court, are you all right?"

"I'll be fine."

"You would like to take the bandages off at your house?"

"Yes."

"Make sure he washes himself off after removing them, he needs to clean the wounds carefully."

"Okay."

"And I've ordered his prescription to be refilled tomorrow, I could send it to your house."

"Okay."

"Thank you, Colonel."

"Goodbye Doctor."

"Goodbye."

Roy set the phone down, biting his lip as he looked back down the hall into his open bedroom door. Edward was stirring, the blankets surrounding him shifting to reveal the pristine cream colored bandages that cloaked the unfixable damage to his flesh. Looking at the clock briefly to discover it was ten after one, the Colonel basked in the idea of the fact that it was Sunday, and he had no obligation to go to work.

"Roy? Where are you?"

The Colonel jumped, hurrying back into the room. He laid back on the bed, running his fingers over the bandages on Edward's left arm.

"You can take these off today..." he whispered, picking at a bit of tape holding the bandages on.

Edward's eyes widened in shock and subtle hostility; he recoiled from Roy's touch, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Edward, honey, what's wrong?"

"I- I don't want to."

The raven-haired man went silent, his hand still hovering in the air where Edward had pulled away. He searched the bedsheets for some clarification, certain he wouldn't find it anywhere else, closing his eyes when the red fabric offered him no ideas.

"But I have to, don't I?" Edward mumbled, examining his body and finding that every part was covered in a bandage of some kind. "No more hiding."

Again, Roy had no response, his thoughts in a war, the visuals of mental violence visible through his onyx eyes.

"I know you don't want me to be upset or anything, don't worry that I'm thinking that."

Edward patted the older man's cheek lightly, shuffling out of bed.

"Where's that robe?" Edward rummaged around beside the bed for a moment before retrieving the long thick robe the Colonel had given him the previous day.

He walked to the door, halting at the frame, resting his hand on it. "I don't want to hide from you, but not right now... please let me do this by myself."

Feeling something wet and hot burn his eyes, Roy stood, slowly walking beside Edward. He bent down, placing a soft kiss upon the teen's lips.

"I love you..." he whispered,letting his forehead rest against the blonde's.

"I love you too, thank you..."

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Edward placed the robe on the edge of the bath, exhaling deeply. He closed the door behind him, swallowing his fear as he prepared himself for what must be done.

He eyed the wall mirror on the opposite side of the room apprehensively, noticing in a full visual the extent of what had happened.

The bandages tried to conceal it, their color a slight different from his ivory skin. Tentatively, he peeled the tape from the thickest bandages on his chest, unraveling the gauze. It was like unwrapping a gift he knew he did not want, a slow and maddening process, but found he could not stop, his impatience overtaking him.

He tore the bandages from his arms, throwing them to the floor, showing off the dried blood on the inside of the dressings. He moved on to his legs, stripping off his boxers to allow himself to access the thick coverings on his hips and thighs. Tears began steadily falling, landing on the black tile floor of Roy's washroom.

Falling to his knees, Edward ripped the last of the bandages from his chest, crying loudly. He hugged himself, rocking back and forth, the centerpiece of a large pile of bloodied gauze.

He opened his eyes, tears still freely flowing as he stared at the scars and bruises now exposed fully for him to see. His imagination worked in overdrive, re-enacting every part of the results of his attacks, knives and fists flying. Now sobbing, he grabbed a handful of the discarded bandages, placing them over his damaged body, frustrated tears soaking his face as the dressings refused to stay in place and mask his body.

"No! I don't want this!!" He pounded the floor with his fists, sinking back into a sitting position, wiping his eyes.

The door creaked open slightly, Roy's voice filtering through a crack.

"Edward, honey... you have to take a shower or something to clean yourself up, okay?" The raven-haired man glimpsed the teen's bandage free leg, the cuts and bruises vivid against the white flesh.

"Okay! Okay, stay out!!" Edward cried, shuffling away from the door.

The door closed with a snap, the blonde thought he heard a restrained cry, and the sound of someone sliding down the wall beside the mahogany portal.

"Take as long as you need." Roy choked, his voice muffled by his emotion and the thick wood.

Edward sniffed, standing up. He turned, taking in the look of his unforgiveably mangled body, shuddering deeply. He stepped into the shower, examining the knobs for a moment before turning it on.

Water washed all down his naked body, numbing him, the wounds imitating automail. He stared into the showerhead, the water clearing his eyes of fatigue and tears.

He tried to will away the pain, to dispel the wounds with his awesome mental power. Looking down, he discovered he had failed, the ugliness still a shock to his eyes, water cascading in weird patterns down the uneven flesh. He found himself wondering what Roy's skin would look like in the shower, any scars he had were incidental and did not distort the flow, the water ran in uninterrupted streams, smooth waterfalls that would feel like silk. Against his destroyed body, the water was unsure of its destination, meandering across the cuts, highlighting them in brilliant ruby.

Tears burst from his eyes once again, mimicking the water in the patterns they made across his face. He sank down the slick wall, sliding into a sitting position on the bottom of the shower. A nauseous feeling rose up in his stomach, every time he looked at a part of his exposed body, the vile wounds jutting from his flesh, deep chasms in a picturesque plain.

He did not know how long he lay in the bottom of the bathtub, water falling on him like tropical rain, sweet and refreshing. He discovered after a moment that the sweet smell was a bar of soap that perched precariously on the edge of the bathtub, bright orange.

Slowly, he reached for the soap, bringing it to his nose, at last realising the source of the spicy scent that hovered around the Colonel. He ran the soap over his chest, bubbles forming almost instantly, iridescent and shining. It did not sting his wounds; ugly and visible as they were, they were healed sufficiently to stop anything from coming in.

The water cooled down, the hot rain turning into sleet.

The teen shouted in cold surprise, leaping from his place in the bottom of the shower, directly into a frigid cloud outside the confines of the shower. Goosebumps worked all over him, their texture defined on any part of skin that was untouched by pain and scars. Rubbing his soaking arms, he turned to see himself in the mirror once again, a pink blur on the steamed glass. He grabbed a nearby towel, moving it all over the glass, clearing the condensation so he could examine himself. He stepped back, the towel falling from his grasp, his sickened feeling now reverting to some kind of fascinated horror. The wounds were now cleaned, pink edges around every one.

Roy stood, recognising the sound of water hitting the porcelain bottom of the bathtub, signaling him that there was no one there to block it. He rested his hand on the door, wondering if he should disturb the teen at all. The silence emanating from the room was worrying, he could not help but feel something was wrong. With a tiny squeak, the door pushed open, allowing Roy to peer in fractionally, seeing a reflection of Edward, completely naked, in the mirror opposite.

The teen was running his hands over the scars and wounds, his mouth agape in a childish wonder. The raven-haired man watched him as he moved all over his body, his hands increasing in velocity as he lost control of his momentarily calm demeanor.

"No!" he cried, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. Roy stepped inside the room, padding over the towels and bandages to Edward's side, placing his hand on the teen's shoulder.

Jumping violently, Edward turned swiftly, backing up against the wall. His golden eyes were spears, penetrating into the midnight-eyed man's astonished body, pinning him to the porcelain. Hurriedly, the blonde gathered up the bloody bandages, shoving them in the wastebasket, and grabbed the long robe, throwing it over himself, fear and sickness threatening to make him collapse.

By this time, Roy had recovered from the initial surprise of Edward shoving him away, approaching the teen once again.

"Edward..."

"Don't! Don't look at me!" he struggled with the robe, his own rushed actions preventing him from properly putting it on.

"Ed.. honey... It's okay."

"No, I'm disgusting! Don't look-!" The teen dropped to his knees, choking back cries. "Don't look, don't look."

"Edward, calm down." Roy summoned up his soothing voice from somewhere underneath his worry, letting it flow over the blonde's hysterics. "Settle down."

Edward steadied his breathing, clutching the robe haphazardly around himself. Tentatively, the older man rested his hand on the younger's head, massaging the wet strands of hair. "It's okay, it's okay, shh."

His reassuring hands migrated down the teen's neck, pulling the dark blue fabric away. He pulled the stiffened teen closer, feeling blood pumping through his veins, warmth traveling via blood in his body.

"Why?" Edward asked thickly, avoiding Roy's eyes.

"Why what?"

"Why are you with me? I'm not beautiful like all those girls, I'm ugly and- and messed up, and a waste for you."

"I am with you because I love you more than anything else. You are beautiful to me, you're beauty with something behind it, intelligence, and a story..."

"You're lying. Look at me! Look at this! I'm repulsive! Look!"

"I am looking. You're as beautiful as you always are."

At a loss for any other argument, Edward hung his head, moist blonde hair falling in front of his face, disguising his tortured expression.

"You're freezing..." commented Roy, scooping the teen into his arms and picking him off the black tiles.

Edward reached up, bringing the older man's mouth to his, locking their function in a long, passionate kiss. "Melt the ice he put inside me..." he whispered, golden eyes like velvet.

They made it to the warm tones of Roy's bedroom, the blonde sinking relaxedly onto the bed, awaiting the other man.

Roy crawled slowly beside him, blinking indolently as he gazed at his lover.

"You're ready? Are you sure?"

"This is something two people share, not inflicted from one to the other," echoed the teen, reaching forward with his automail and stroking the raven-haired man's cheek.

Again, Roy felt the blood surge through him, readying him for the action Edward was requesting. Watched by the blonde, he removed his t-shirt and pajama pants, followed by his underwear, moving closer to the teen.

Their lips met in a volcanic eruption, lava pouring down Edward's throat, resting somewhere in the center of his chest, molten and burning. Roy continued, renewing his rhythmic motion, a fire bursting into life between their rubbing bodies. Without really thinking, Edward rolled over, waiting to be rid of the grip of the ice. The older man busied himself with something for a moment, before resuming his place in an airless space beside the teen.

"You're certain?" he murmured, his lips brushing Edward's ear.

The blonde replied with a kiss, his flesh hand reaching back to rest on Roy's hip.

Reigniting his flame, Roy commenced, Edward gasping in the sultry heat. A thermal storm raged inside him, pushing surge after surge of restoring heat to every corner of his body.

A desert materialized around them, scorching sunlight melting the teen into a sensuous puddle, malleable to Roy's will. The raven-haired man was a blacksmith, using his powerful heat to bend and twist the metallic teen any way he wanted.

The resisting chunk of ice in the blonde's heart shuddered and fell, warm water splashing into the hot blood in his body. He moaned in happy relief, his hands finding themselves together, an old habit. They broke apart, a bright red light spreading out from all over his body, causing bright, fiery looking flowers to bloom, all around the pair. They grew from the bedspread, petals whirling upwards, caught in a thermic vortex, the wind blowing their hair about.

Flowers persisted to bloom, moving from the bedspread to the carpet, Edward unconsciously spreading the warmth.

Days could have passed, and neither party would have been aware of it, ceasing their fire dance simultaneously, and breaking apart, the sudden distance an impact to both of them. In unison, they reached for each other, holding one another among the fabricated meadow of flowers that was once Roy's bedroom.

"Thank you... Flame." breathed Edward, kissing him passionately once more before snuggling into his chest.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Oooo! Wowee! Go lemon!! Go lemon!!

Nyahaa! This lemon is for all the people who were all: "Write the lemon!!" You know who you are.

So, cupcakes for you. You as referring to the reviewers. Yeaaahhh.

Love and kisses,

meganekko

Ps. sorry if the lemon was too hardcore for some of you readers. -makes mental note to raise rating to M-


	18. Wrench

**Dead Line Chapter Eighteen- Wrench**

So I was going to reply to all of your reviews, but my thumbdrive is an idiot and didn't copy your names into the file, so I have no idea who reviewed. -feels stupid-

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The sleep that followed the illustrious fire dance was one Edward had never experienced. There was nothing but pure sweet warmth, no cold fingers tugging him backwards into the past every night. A smile curled his lips slightly, the petal pink never darker.

Roy opened his eyes slowly, indolence still hanging onto his eyelashes. This subtle movement was like an avalanche to the blonde teen, who also opened his eyes, staring up at Roy's face, hopeful that the older man was awake.

"Good morning sleepy..." Edward breathed, his hot breath coasting across the bare expanse of Roy's chest.

"Morning yourself." the older man mumbled, wiggling down the bed and turning so he was face to face with the teen. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't have a nightmare at all."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Unable to think of anything else to say, they both sighed simultaneously, leaning into each other.

The raven-haired man kissed Edward's neck gingerly, careful around the thickly painted wounds. The teen was like a painting found in the garbage, scarred with bloody paint and torn across the smooth canvas. Determinedly, Roy was trying to restore the picture the painting once showed, seeing the true potential beneath the distortions.

His lips worked over every wound, kissing each one tenderly, his mind supplying him with the vision of smooth ivory skin materialising before him.

To the blonde, every sensation of the older man's lips on his flesh was an unspoken apology, words scrolling across the damaged canvas. Roy's hot breath moved down Edward's torso, tiny kisses dancing across every cut, their steps graceful on the uneven stage.

The kisses halted, an intermission in which the older man's mouth moved to the teen's shoulder, the dance resuming all down his arm, until he found himself kissing the teen's hand, his lips lingering on the intensely soft flesh between the knuckles, ignoring the cuts and callouses on the actual knuckle.

Edward uncurled his hand slowly, caressing Roy's face, making the older man smile with a suppressed laugh as the gentle touch tickled his jawline. The Colonel went blind in a prolonged blink, opening his eye after a few seconds to look upon Edward's smiling face.

"God, you're beautiful." the older man gasped, thrown by his realisation. The blonde blushed, smiling embarrassedly.

Another kiss was exchanged, both sinking back into contented silence after it broke off.

"Hey, I want to show you some-" Roy was cut off by the ringing of his telephone, he rolled his eyes and got up, shuffling into the hallway. Again, to Edward's delight, he was fully naked, leaning against the doorframe as he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Colonel Mustang? This is Alphonse. Is Brother there?"

"Where else would he be?" Roy grinned, turning back to Edward, who sat up with an adorable curious expression on his face. He looked like a tiny kitten, registered Roy, clearing his throat and returning to the conversation.

"May I talk to him for a bit?"

"Sure." Roy motioned to the teen, pointing at the phone to indicate it was for him. Edward stood, having a little more dignity than Roy, and wrapped the comforter around his waist, taking the phone from the older man.

"It's Al." mouthed Roy, moving in and rubbing his nose against Edward's. The teen giggled, his laughter turning into his greeting.

"Hey, Al..."

"Brother!" Al paused, "It's so good to hear you laugh." The younger Elric was silent for a moment, absorbing the sound of his brother's laugh.

"Al?"

"How are you doing, Brother? Are you okay with Colonel Mustang?"

Edward turned back, taking in the sight of Roy searching for his pants, bending over and displaying his backside rather pointedly.

The blonde laughed again, scrunching his face up at the raven-haired man, who grinned mischievously in return, holding up his black slacks. Shaking his head, Edward turned away, listening to his brother once more.

"We're really good, Al. I want to know how you've been doing. Who are you staying with? Have you been studying? Have you been keeping your armour clean, this snow is-"

"Whoa, Brother! I'm fine! I'm in the military dorms, I'm perfectly fine. What about you? Have you been eating properly and getting enough rest? The doctor said you were allowed to take off your bandages yesterday. Did you?"

"Yeah..."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Al."

"And Colonel Mustang's been nice?"

Looking back at the Colonel, who was now struggling with the bunched up leg in one of the pant legs of his slacks, Edward grinned broadly, "Yeah, as nice as he can be."

"Well, I'm happy to hear that." There was a silence. "Oh! I got you some books! They're really nice, fantasies. I'll send them over with-"

The sound of a dog barking interrupted Alphonse's sentence, filtering through the phone, directly into Edward's ear. He flinched, his eyes widening.

"Shh, Black Hayate! Shh! Brother? Are you there?"

Roy sighed in victory, zipping up the uncooperative pants. A thump sounded from outside in the hall, he briefly wondered if Edward had knocked something over, curiously striding to the doorway, looking out. The phone dangled from the cord, Alphonse's tinny voice still audible through it.

Edward lay on the floor, curled in a ball, hands over his ears as he tried to block out the sound of the dog barking.

_Woof woof little dog, woof woof._

"Edward!" Roy dropped to his side, shaking his shoulder, "Edward, snap out of it!" The Colonel snagged the handset from its swinging position, holding it up to his ear, still hearing Alphonse's panicked cries.

"Brother! Brother, are you there?"

"Alphonse."

"Colonel! What happened to Brother? He just stopped talking!"

"He fainted, what were you just talking about?" demanded the midnight-eyed man, his irises flashing black.

"Books, and then Black Hayate started to bark and he stopped talking to me!"

"Okay, Al, this isn't your fault."

"What do you mean?" Even in the armour, the young alchemist sounded close to tears.

"Dogs, I don't think he can handle the sound of dogs."

"I'm sorry!"

"I have to go now, okay? We'll call you later."

"Okay, I'm sorry!"

Roy hung up, turning his attention back to the shaking blonde, grateful that the teen was at least covered in the crimson blanket. He rubbed the teen's shoulder, silently imploring him to awaken and smile once again.

Mumbling slightly, the blonde opened his eyes, gasping in surprise as he sat up abruptly, making the Colonel jump slightly.

"What, what happened?" asked Edward, turning the Roy for answers.

"You just fainted, are you hurt anywhere?"

Edward blinked, furrowing his brow. "No, I don't think so."

"You should probably lay down again, okay?" Roy placed his arm around Edward's shoulders, lifting him to his feet. They stumbled through the bedroom door, the older man helping the younger back into the bed.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I don't mean to be so weak."

"Don't apologize for anything. Just get some rest, okay?"

"'Kay." Edward's eyes preceded the rest of him, eyelids drooping over golden irises. "Sorry."

Shaking his head, the Colonel stepped away from the bed, looking one last time at the sleeping blonde before turning off the light and making his way downstairs. He entered the kitchen with a dull sort of expression, regarding the compact room blankly.

After a moment of scrutinising the refrigerator front, he opened the door, discovering, to his delight, it was actually filled with good food, as opposed to the almost empty status it usually had. He glanced at the clock, the time discerning what sort of meal he should make.

Three forty two.

_'Wow, we really slept in.'_

Deciding an early dinner won out over a late lunch, the raven-haired man pulled a package of chicken from the refrigerator, placing it on the counter.

Roy prided himself on his domestic skills, they had been something his grandmother had impressed upon him in his early teens.

"The best way to show you're a together person who can handle anything is to show you can keep your home clean and your meals nutritious." he recited, his grandmother's words echoing in his mind.

"The person you love will also appreciate it. Look at your grandfather."

It was at this point Roy began considering his grandmother's carefully chosen words. _The __person._ Had his grandmother known all along he wasn't as straight as he would have liked to think? He didn't doubt it.

He retrieved a cutting board and a knife from the broad drawer beside the stove, grabbing a select few vegetables from the refrigerator and hastening to cut them up, the entire time worrying that Edward would come downstairs and see the knife.

The final cut struck the cutting board, Roy quickly stuffed the knife away, sighing in relief.

He started up the frying pan, deciding a stir fry would be agreeable.

After several contented minutes cooking the dinner, Roy's cuisinal meditation was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. He turned the heat down, giving the frying pan a vigorous stir before hurrying towards the front door.

No sooner had he arrived when the door was flung wide and a very irate teenager stormed in, blonde ponytail whipping the frosty air inward. The Colonel was still for a moment, his normally stoic demeanour thrown by this sudden display of rudeness.

Winry rounded on the older man, blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"Where's Edward?" she demanded, her cheeks flushed with the cold and fury.

Taken aback at the sudden intrusion in his home, Roy remained silent, alerted to the cold by the snow blustering in and chilling his very bare chest. He found himself wishing he had put a shirt on, his cheeks reddening as he closed the door.

"I said, where's Edward?" Winry repeated, looking around the front porch, as if the golden eyed teen would emerge from the woodwork.

"Miss Rockbell, please be quiet. Edward is sleeping."

"Where is he? I want to see him!"

"Miss Rockbell-"

"My name is Winry!"

"Winry. He is resting. He is still recovering from-"

"Fine then, until he wakes up, you tell me what's going on. Alphonse wouldn't say."

Frowning in defeat, Roy crossed the living room to the kitchen, motioning for the girl to sit at one of the sturdy wooden chairs at the mahogany table.

He turned his attention to the stir fry, which was sizzling alarmingly, pouring some water into the pan to save the meal. (this actually works very well if your stir fry is burning, it'll loosen all the burnt bits and make a nice flavour, assuming it hasn't reduced itself to pure carbon)

"What do you want to know?" he asked, making himself unnecessarily busy with the salvation of his dinner, avoiding her cerulean gaze.

"What the hell happened to him? Why is he with you and not his brother? Why wasn't I told about this before?"

"He was beaten. He is with me because I am his guardian appointed by his doctor. You weren't informed of this probably because you would react in this fashion, and I don't believe he could have handled that before." the Colonel replied in a hollow voice, trying to keep his voice unwavering.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, punctured only the sounds of the stir fry.

"How hurt was he??" Winry asked quietly, picking at the linen napkin on the center of the table.

"He spent a little more than a week in the hospital and he's..." the Colonel's voice cracked, he halted his sentence immediately, resolute to not reveal his sorrow to the girl.

"Why does he always get himself into these things? Why doesn't he stay away from things like this?"

"I don't know."

The raven-haired man reached upwards, pulling two black plates from the cupboard and placed them on the table. He dished out two servings of the stir fry onto each plate, pushing one to the girl and handing her a pair of wooden chopsticks.

He sat down without a word, after turning the stove down to low, and picked up his own chopsticks, proceeding to tuck in.

Winry followed suit, discovering that it was exceptionally delicious, somewhat resenting it, not wanting him to have anything positive about him, loathing him as she did.

She held her bag to her chest, feeling something bulky within. She extracted two hardcover books, placing hem on the table between them. Their titles read _Frankenstein_ and _Jules Verne._

"Alphonse bought them for Edward," she explained.

Again the uncomfortable silence filled the room, this time ended by the raven-haired man standing up and putting his dish in the sink, still ardently wishing he had a shirt on.

"And why are you appointed his guardian? What makes you so special?"

"I- I love him."

Winry was taken aback, her mouth dropped open, eyes widening to their limits. She stared at Roy's back, focusing her attention on a tiny round scar below his shoulderblade. "You-?"

"Yes, I do." The Colonel stared across the living room at the front window, noticing in the reflection the unmoving stance of the girl.

"No..." she mumbled, "Does he love you back? Tell me he doesn't!"

"Ask him yourself." the midnight-eyed man's words were icy, like a frigid blast directed at the girl. He turned, stalking off to some hitherto unknown area of the house, which, by Winry's brief glance, was a greenhouse of some kind.

She sat at the table for an unknown amount of time, processing the new information. A thump from behind her made her turn, her eyes narrowing in anger as she took in Edward's beaten form. Wounds were unabashedly visible upon his pale skin, each one asking for a beating for their existence.

"Wh-where's Roy?" he asked, tugging at the dark blue robe around his shoulders. Winry stood, drawing a long wrench from her bag and swung at the golden haired teen, the silver metal connecting fluidly with the side of his head.

_White lights popped in front of his vision, blinding him momentarily, as skull-splitting blows were delivered to his head repeatedly. It seemed his attacker was utilising some sort of weapon, it felt like a two-by-four or something blunt like that. _

"No, no, get away from-" Edward began, sinking to the floor, hands over his head. Tears sprang from his eyes, familiar paths pounded solid on his face, the tears rolling smoothly across them.

"How dare you make me worry about you, how dare you! And you love _him_!? He killed my parents! You should hate him for what he took from me!" The wrench landed repeatedly, catching side of his forehead and splitting the skin.

"STOP!!" Roy burst in, grabbing the girl's wrist, yanking her away from the semi-conscious blonde.

"Get off me, you murderer!" Winry yelled, elbowing the older man in the stomach. He doubled over, releasing her, his eyes focused only on the petrified form of Edward. He crawled toward him, shaking hands running over Edward's body, pulling him into his embrace.

Winry watched in a mixture of frustration and regret as Edward sobbed openly into Roy's chest, his fear overtaking him. His breath came in gasping spurts, irregular and rapid.

Holding the crying blonde to his chest, Roy turned his piercing gaze to the other blonde, eyes reverting to pure, enraged black.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" This simple question was accompanied by the icy tone once more, suppressed rage underlying the words.

"I- he... What's the matter with him?"

"He was beaten, more than anyone could imagine. He was tortured and raped, you stupid girl! And then you go and do that to him?? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Winry flinched at Roy's yell, her eyes watering up. The wrench slid from her grasp, landing on the hardwood floor with a thunk that made Edward cry out.

_When his face was sufficiently marred, and the teen was on the brink of unconsciousness, the strikes ceased, the sound of the weapon clattering to the ground filled his ears. A thick wooden sound, knock on wood for luck._

"Shh, honey... It's okay now, it's okay." The Colonel rocked him back and forth, stroking his golden hair.

Edward looked over Roy's shoulder, his vision clouded with rain as he surveyed his lifelong friend. She looked long and hard into his eyes, seeing more grief and sadness there than ever before.

The Colonel felt the teen's heartbeat through his embrace, wild and racing. Breaking down once more, Edward hid his eyes from Winry, burying his face in Roy's collarbone. He held onto the older man with a restrained strength, still aware that he could hurt him. This was his only means of safety, clinging to his life raft amidst the ravaging storm, a salty ocean of tears.

"Go." Roy said, directing his low voice to Winry, who backed away, half-expecting Roy to fly at her. She burst into tears, running out of the house.

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-dies from crappy chapterness- Ugh! Writer's block! -lets out stream of Japanese curses-

... That was my first attempt at writing Winry. It's weird to write girls in this fic. She's the only one besides Riza I think. Yeesh.

I hope you enjoyed anyway. My brain is all "Nooooo!!!" I think I'll go play Kingdom Hearts now. **: p **

Review for pie and cookies and cupcakes, and lets just hold a bake sale okay!

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	19. Angel

**Dead Line Chapter Nineteen- **

Holy goddess Martel! You guys are the greatest reviewers ever!!! I really would not have made it this far without your support and encouragement. Not to mention whoever said it made their day to see it updated. I didn't want to let you down.

As we're nearing the end... yes, the end. I would really like to thank you, readers, and reviewers, for your love, support, and the occasional muffin. (Especially last chapter, yeesh, you guys saved me)

I hope you enjoy these last few chapters. Count on at** least** three more. And possibly an epilogue.

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"Winry? Winry are you all right?"

"Just go away Al. Leave me alone."

"You're crying, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing!"

"Please tell me!"

"I hit Edward."

"What?"

Winry lifted her head, revealing the tear-soaked surface. "I hit him, for getting beat up again."

Alphonse pondered the logic behind that, remembering all the times Winry would get so upset and angry at his brother for getting hurt, she would invariably hurt him more. Up until now it was just something she did, they would all laugh and shake it off, returning to their normal routine of a splintered sibling relationship. The recent incidents showed their true reach, the terror of them spreading to anything that came near Edward, intoxicating it with the noxious fear.

Including Winry.

She buried her head in her arms, her shoulders shaking. "Is it true? What Roy said? Edward was... tortured... raped?"

Alphonse was silent for a stretch of time, watching the rhythm of Winry's cries. "Yes... The Colonel was the one who saved him."

"I didn't know..."

"Huh?"

"I said awful things to him, both of them... They really love each other, don't they?"

"Yeah, like no one else."

"If I would have known, I would never have... But Roy didn't tell me! He just said Edward got beat up!"

The suit of armour sat down next to the girl, rubbing her hair with his soft gloved hand. "You should have seen the Colonel after Edward was first in the hospital, he was so sad. I don't think he could have told you even if he wanted to. It was too painful for him. He was crying... I still remember, in the hospital room. Edward was so weak, but he kept trying to make the Colonel feel better. He stroked his hair like this..." Alphonse demonstrated on the girl's bangs, running his fingers through the strands.

"Then what?" asked Winry thickly, following the recollection closely.

"The Colonel kissed him."

The blonde sniffed, lifting her head. "Really?"

"And Edward smiled... a real smile. I haven't seen him smile like that since before Mom died. It was so good to see it, but I was kind of jealous..."

"Why?"

"I wanted to be the one to make him smile like that. But that's the Colonel's job now. We can be there, Brother'll smile for us, but it won't be the same."

"That's not fair."

"Huh?"

"We've been there for Edward much longer than Roy, why should we be pushed down his priority list because someone else came along?"

"I don't think we've been pushed down. We're still at exactly the same spot, just the Colonel's been added above us."

The girl went silent at this, staring out at the boring grey wall of Edward and Alphonse's military dorm.

"I hope he knows I'm sorry."

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"Edward, honey... are you hungry or anything?"

The golden haired teen looked up, observing Roy as if he were merely an interesting painting in a gallery, as opposed to his caring lover.

"My head hurts," he mumbled, lifting his flesh hand to the side of his forehead, running his fingers over the thick bandage Roy had placed over the cut inflicted by Winry.

Roy closed his eyes, sinking on to the couch beside the blonde. He exhaled deeply, seeming to deflate, his shell slumping into the contours of the sofa.

There was an uncomfortable silence, the sort that makes you want to look in a mirror to be sure you still exist. It was the first time Roy experienced this sort of silence in the company of Edward, unsure of what he should say or do, suspecting a strong retribution of the silence if he broke it.

He decided to chance it, shifting closer to the teen and wrapping his arm around his ever-shaking shoulders.

"Edward, will you come with me? I want to show you something."

The blonde nodded in response, his petal-pink lips still firmly unmoving.

Taking his hand, Roy led Edward towards the stairs, proceeding up the fifteen steps to the landing. They made their way to the room that was always closed, the older man leading the younger by the hand, his steps careful across the black carpeting.

"I wanted to show you this before..." Roy said, twisting the ornately carved brass handle and pushing the thick door in, leading his lover into the dark room.

He flipped the light switch on, once again placing his arm around the teen's shoulders.

"This is all for you..." Roy whispered, indicating the contents of the room.

Laid out before him, free of the dust and neglect that the room had previously been adorned with, the piano was polished to some semblance of its new state, save for the general scrapes and dents that came with the owning of such a thing. Paintings decorated the walls, all landscapes of a fantasy realm, forests and oceans.

There was also a violin perched upon a dark dresser, the shimmer of red wood catching Edward's eye. A organized clutter of boxes lined the walls, a narrow path leading through the room to a large day bed, the pure white coverings almost glowing in the light coming in from the large bay window behind it. Flowers were growing from large pots on the various surfaces in the room, their petals shining iridescently from the bright white sunlight outside the bay window. The slope of Roy's roof was more noticeable in this room than his bedroom, adding an interesting shape to the beautiful room.

This space had a strangely cathartic effect on the golden teen, he began crying gently, his mind at a loss for anything else to react with. This greatly confused the Colonel, this was not the effect he was going for.

"Ed, Edward, honey... are you okay?"

The blonde turned, his tiny body framed by the bright light behind him, "You did this... for me?"

Roy stared, watching the tears waterfall down the teen's face. The window was positioned behind him in such a way that his frail body was perfectly enveloped in the potent light, casting a pure aura around him and erasing the scars upon his chest with the purity of the white sunshine. The curtains arced behind him in a manner that mimicked wings, he was a ghostly angel, descended from heaven to offer Roy a heartbreakingly graceful vision of his untouched innocence.

He recovered after a moment, his mind still reeling. He stepped closer to the blonde, hesitant in the presence of the teen's reverential glory. His arms were working around the seraphic form of their own accord, his brain was still enraptured by his realization that this radiant angel loved him.

God, he was lucky.

"Thank you..." Edward whispered, breathing in the scent of Roy's shirt, detecting the spicy soap smell once again.

"You're... welcome." Roy sighed, his mind resuming its normal workings.

They stood in silence, arms around each other, this brief stint of quiet entirely different from the preceding one.

"Can you play that?" Edward asked, Roy immediately knowing the teen was referring to the piano.

"My grandmother taught me... I can play fairly well I suppose."

"Will you play a song for me?"

Roy smiled, rubbing Edward's back, feeling the uneven levels of the automail plating against the teen's shoulder blades.

"I have just the one." Roy pulled away, crossing the box path to the piano, pulling out the bench and retrieving several sheets of composer paper, placing them gently on the stand.

Edward sank onto the day bed, discovering a clean white robe disguising itself amidst the fabric of the same tint. He shrugged out of Roy's dark blue robe, pulling the soft cloth around him and sinking back into the cushioned surface of the bed, clutching the dark blue robe to his chest and a sighing in some hedonistically indulgent happiness. He watched Roy settle down onto the piano bench, drowsiness pulling at him due to his almost unimaginable comfort.

A melody struck up, slow and pleasant, one which sounded vaguely familiar to the teen. After a brief moment, he found himself humming along to the tune, becoming more and more sleepy, still happily watching Roy's back as the cloth shifted fractionally as the song continued. D, f, e, f, g, a, f, e, d... d... f... e...

Edward closed his eyes, sinking into the white pillowcase and a dreamy stupor.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"-no, that's fine. I need something from town anyway. Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. Okay, bye."

Edward awoke to the sound of Roy's voice, the music gone. He was aware of thick blankets draped over him, opening his eyes to see the somewhat surprising tint of white, as opposed to the intense blood crimson velvet that he was expecting.

A hand touched his hip, gently pressing down, a subtle, gentle movement to awaken him.

"Edward, honey... are you awake?"

Edward smiled, tilting his head and surveying Roy through half-lidded eyes. "Hmm?"

"I have to go to town to get some things, do you want to come?"

The blonde pondered this for a moment, sighing after a moment. "I'm afraid to be away from you."

"Okay, I'm going to go and start the car, okay? I'll get you something to wear first, kay?"

Five minutes later, Edward sat on the bottom stair of Roy's staircase, wearing a black dress shirt with the collar up to hide his scars and a red tie (which he neglected to tie, instead draping it over his shoulders like a scarf) and his warm velvet coat. He was watching the older man through the window. Roy was blowing the snow from his windshield with concentrated burst of warm air from his pyrotex gloves, the disturbed flakes whirling in a flurry of white around his dark shape. He stepped back, seeming to be satisfied with his work, returning to the house, holding out his gloved hand for Edward to come.

The teen got to his feet shakily, placing his slender mittened hand in Roy's outstretched one, allowing himself to be led from the house, down the stairs and walkway to the vehicle.

They got in simultaneously, Edward slamming his door shut with some difficulty. He shivered on the cold seat, rubbing his left arm with his right, trying to elicit some sort of warmth.

Roy started the car, flicking the heater switch on, and reached into the back seat, pulling a thick brown blanket from somewhere on the seat and giving it to Edward. The teen grinned gratefully, wrapping it around himself.

A memory leapt up through several layers of new ones, he was shaking with cold on cold concrete, a warm brown blanket draped over him. He raced down an alleyway, desperately looking for some way to escape.

"Stop it, come on, you're okay... you're okay."

Edward took a deep breath, shaking his head and sighing, giving Roy a half-smile to indicate he was okay.

After a few minutes of driving, Roy considered Edward for a moment, his driving halted by a stop sign.

"Have you ever gone skating, Edward?"

"Huh?"

"Skating. Ever tried it?"

"No... why?"

"There's a pond in the park on Timmin Street. It's freezes over easily because it isn't very deep."

"You want to go skating? With me?"

"Would you?"

"I don't know how."

"Well, it's about time you learned, then."

Roy tapped on the signal light, turning right and continuing down a mostly abandoned road, stopping in front of a small collection of shops. He turned the car off, motioning for Edward to get out as well. Roy pointed to a small bookshop, leading Edward to it.

"Do you want to look at some books? I have to pick a few things up next door."

"You'll just be next door?" Edward asked warily, unconsciously moving closer to the other man.

"Yeah, I won't be any more than five minutes." The Colonel kissed Edward on the top of the head, prompting a gentle smile from the old lady who was just passing. She did a double take, staring at Roy for a second, she scrutinised him closely, earning a look of confusion from the raven-haired man.

"Are you Elly's grandson, Roy Mustang?" she inquired, tilting her head slightly and awaiting a reply.

"Y-yes, that's me."

"Well, don't you recognise me, you little scamp?" she smiled, "I'm Mona, your grandmother's attendant!"

Roy was silent for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "Oh, yes, I remember. How are you?"

"Oh, agreeable, certainly!" She looked at Edward, who was hiding behind Roy's arm. "And who's this cute young thing?"

"This is Edward."

Mona glanced back at Roy with a sly smile, "Elly's told me you talk about him a lot. Is he the one that you couldn't even describe how beautiful he was?"

A blush crept over Roy's cheeks, highlighting the blue of his eyes nicely. "Yes..."

"Well, he's adorable! You like the cute ones, don't you?" Mona smiled genuinely at Edward, who inched slightly closer at her happy attitude.

"Um, Mona?" Roy began, finding the right words, he leaned in whispering in a hushed voice, "Could you look after him for a few minutes? I need to get some things quickly. Could you take him to the bookstore, help him around?"

A few men crossed the street, Edward grabbed Roy's arm, holding on as if the older man's limb was a shield. He remained this way until the men were a block away, prompting a dual stare from Mona and Roy. Eventually he realised he was being looked at and released the raven-haired man, blushing slightly.

"Edward?" Mona said kindly, holding her hand out, "Will you accompany me to the bookstore, you look like someone who would know a good read."

Looking at Roy briefly, Edward took her hand, his mitten fitting nicely with hers. Roy grinned it relief, nodding and turning down the street, entering a shop directly next door to the bookshop.

Mona led the way though the shop, pointing out several heavy, beautiful books, launching into an enormous lecture on the practicality of owning a large dictionary, for both pleasure and knowledge. Edward became engrossed in the perusal of a large dictionary on a stand, educating himself in the definition of the word _pluvial_.

_Of or pertaining to rain._

Ten minutes passed, and the familiar jingle of the shop door opening shook Edward from his reading. He was nearing the end of S, closing the dictionary at symphony.

Roy strode inside, a gentle smile curling his lips pleasantly upward. He found Edward among the largest books in the store, no surprise there. If the teen were a book, he would be one of the thickest volumes on the planet. His story was so long, it would take pages and pages to tell it all properly.

The teen looked up in a sort of confused surprise, happiness becoming apparent as he realised Roy was in front of him.

"Hi." he said, stepping closer to the Colonel.

Abruptly, Roy bent down and kissed Edward full on the mouth, prompting an extreme blush from the younger party. Mona stepped out from behind at that exact moment, interrupting the kiss with a "What letter are you on now, Edward, dear?"

She placed her hand on her lips in embarrassed surprise, silencing herself as the pair finished their kiss. Roy looked round when he had finished, noticing the old lady hiding behind a bookshelf, grinning broadly.

"Ah, I see." she said plainly, stepping back towards the couple, "You _are _together then?"

"I was just finishing S." Edward smiled gently, still blushing brilliantly.

"For sensuous, scintillating and sexy, hm?"

If possible, Edward turned an even darker shade of pink.

A brief silence passed, after which Roy thanked Mona for her help, bidding her to say hello to his grandmother.

"You should say it to her yourself, goodness knows you haven't been to see her for nearly three weeks. You used to come every weekend!"

Roy made a small gesture towards Edward, who was watching a few birds braving the wintry air. "He's really needed me."

"I understand, I'll tell Elly. She was asking about you yesterday."

"Thank you."

They departed from the bookshop, waving heartily to Mona, who tottered down the street, a bag full of books, one which Edward deemed to be the newest dictionary in the shop.

Noticing it was getting dark, Roy decided to bypass the skating trip for the day, promising Edward that they would go another time.

They got back in the car, driving to the next destination in comfortable silence, each man alone with his thoughts.

Roy was preparing words, what exactly he would say in the events he had planned for the night; Edward was still going over the definitions of sensuous, scintillating, and sexy in his mind.

They pulled into a semi-occupied parking lot, the raven-haired man steering the car into a space beside he door of the building that appeared to be a restaurant.

"You must be hungry by now, right?" Roy asked, placing his hand on Edward's.

Edward thought about this for a stretch of time, deciding that this was the case, and that he very much agreed with the location.

Upon entering the restaurant, Edward found it to be one of _those_ restaurants, the romantic, intimate setting delicate and fragrant.

Roy approached the counter, "Table for two, reserved private table four, Roy Mustang."

The rather pointy waitress scanned the list, arriving at the aforementioned name.

"Oh, yes. This way, Mr. Mustang." she turned to Edward, smiling invitingly, "I'll help you in a moment sir." she said brightly.

Edward merely looked at her, his eyebrow cinching slightly. The Colonel placed his hand on Edward's shoulder, directing him to walk in front of him, making their way through the sea of tables.

The waitress stared in slight puzzlement before shaking her head and following.

They were seated in a small alcove just beside the rest of the room, so no one could interrupt their time together.

"Here are your menus," the waitress handed a menu to each of them, very much confused over the gender of Roy Mustang's date.

"Edward, I've wanted to take you here for such a long time." Roy mumbled, reaching across the table and taking the teen's hand. "It's my favorite place to eat."

The blonde looked around, drinking in the unfamiliar surroundings, removing his jacket and mittens, still firmly on guard and tense.

"So, how did you like Mona?"

"She was nice, she gave me a toffee."

Roy chuckled, sipping his water, "That sounds like her."

"She also said you were a good man. That I was lucky to have you."

Roy was silent, gazing at Edward's downcast eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you come here with any of those girls?"

Again, the Colonel was struck dumb, his mouth opening a little wider.

"Yes," he croaked eventually.

Edward reddened slightly at this, looking away. "Right here?"

"No, never here... I wanted us to be alone."

"Why?"

"It's not anyone else's business what we're talking about. I think-"

"What?"

"I think I sat in the open with the girls before to try to prove to everyone else that I was straight."

"And with me?"

"I don't need anyone's approval, I love you, that's what matters. I don't have to show anyone else to prove I love you, I know it for a fact. That's why I chose to be with you here."

"Hmm." Edward smiled softly, looking up at last. "Thank you... you are a good man."

"Are you ready to order now?"

"Oh, I'll have the Chicken Parmesan." Roy replied automatically, looking at Edward, who looked at the waitress hastily, scratching his head.

"Um, uh, I'll have a... salad?"

The waitress made a note. "Would you like dressing?"

"Oil and vinegar?"

"Okay. Would you like drinks?"

"I'll have a coffee please, Edward do you want-?"

"Tea, please. No milk."

The raven-haired man looked as if he were going to comment, silenced by a glance from the golden irises.

"That's everything?"

"Can we also get two slices of chocolate cheesecake to finish?" Roy requested, handing both unused menus to the waitress.

"Yes, certainly."

She left, closing the purple curtain that separated the room from the rest of the restaurant. A dim light brightened the area to a romantic setting, a bouquet of purple roses stood on the table, probably white dyed purple, Edward registered.

The Colonel reached across the table and took the teen's hand once more.

"Edward, there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now, but I-"

"Whoa! It _is_ Roy!"

Both occupants of the room exchanged tired glances, recognizing the voice instantly.

Hughes burst into the purple room, waving exuberantly to the couple.

"Hi Roy! Hi Edward! Gracia! Come and say hello!"

Gracia entered the room, standing hesitantly beside her husband, giving each of them apologetic looks, which they returned with exasperated sighs.

"Hello, Roy, Edward." she said quietly, touching her husband's arm. "Maes, we should leave them alone."

"Here's your order, Colonel Mustang!" the waitress entered, holding a platter aloft.

The room was now uncomfortably crowded, the waitress hurried in her placement of the meal and departed, at least leaving room enough to breathe.

"Not until I get a picture!" Hughes produced a camera from nowhere, taking several snapshots of the pair before being dragged away by his wife, who quickly and subtly yanked on his ear, pulling the curtains shut and rolling her eyes at Roy and Ed before leaving.

Edward was already munching on his salad, a small grin playing over his lips, the bottom right corner splotched with a spot of dressing. Calmly, Roy stood up, placing his napkin on the table and strode to the teen's side, bending down and kissing him passionately, finishing with licking the dressing from his lip. Smirking at the blonde's stupefaction, Roy sat once more, tucking in to his delicious dinner.

"What was that?" the very much surprised alchemist asked.

"I just wanted to sample it."

Edward shrugged, continuing to eat his salad. "You know, Al would always make me eat more than a salad. He said that just vegetables wouldn't fill me up, and that's why I'm so skinny."

"Eat whatever you want. If you want something later, I'll make it for you."

"That's what I figured." The small of Roy's dinner wafted over to him, setting his stomach growling, unsatisfied with the meager vegetables. "Can I try that?"

Roy snickered, scooping some of the chicken onto his fork, stretching it across the table, feeding it to the teen in a purely romantic cliché.

Ah love. The perpetual cliché. But so damn cute.

The rest of the dinner was exchanged in this fashion, resulting in a dropped piece of lettuce in Roy's water glass, and a spot of marinara sauce on the tablecloth.

The empty dinner plates were soon replaced with two black plates with chocolate cheesecake upon them, decorated fancily.

Edward ate most of his cake before looking up at Roy, who had not touched his.

"Don't you want it?"

"No, I'll get to it. I'm just trying to think of the best way to ask you something."

"What do you want to know?"

Roy placed his hand on his chin, staring at the chocolate shavings on top of his cake. "It's difficult to say."

"Just try it."

"Maybe I'm positioned wrong." Roy wondered aloud, getting up. He strode over to the other side of the table as he did before, this time, kneeling down beside Edward's chair.

Edward's eyes widened, his brain working feverishly.

_Oh my god, oh my oh my oh oh oh-_ _he's going to- oh my- _

Roy reached into his pocket, fumbling nervously with something for a beat. He straightened slightly, looking Edward deep in the aureate eyes, determination shining clear as starlight in his own.

"Edward Autumn..." Roy held up a thick platinum ring, "Will you marry me?"

Edward gaped, a smile riding along with his mouth. He covered it with his automail hand, a blush covering his whole face. A bubble of happiness swelled inside his chest, expanding him until he felt fit to burst with euphoria.

He looked the Colonel in the eyes, squeaking out one word.

"Yes!"

Tears clouded his vision, blurring the visual of the man before him. He felt arms around him, lips caressing his cheek and mouth; fingers brushing at the joyous tears in his eyes.

"Yes, yes, yes!" he cried, feeling the ring slide smoothly onto his finger.

"Okay!" Roy exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

"Oh my god, Gracia! He popped the question!! They're gonna get married!!!"

"Maes!!"

Roy grinned wider than he thought possible. He didn't care who saw, he was proposing to an angel.

O-o-o-o-o-oo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ack! -fangirl squee-

This was the superest chapter of this fic so far(in my opinion) and I wouldn't've made it this far without your guys' reviews!!!

Thank you so much, really. This chapter was made extra-long just for you.

Offers pie and cookies and cupcakes and whatever your heart desires.

Love and kisses,\

meganekko


	20. Ring

**Dead Line Chapter Twenty-**

OMGM!! Twenty?? No freaking way!!! Woooohoo!"

Thank you so much for the nice reviews, it makes me so happy to see you guys are enjoying this. Considering the events of last chapter, I think there may be a sequel, but not as long as this... maybe a ficlet or something.

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Hmm, hmm, hmm..."

Roy finished the softly hummed song, looking over and discovering the teen was asleep in the passenger seat.

The gentle hum of the car's motor took over, the engine lulling the diminutive blonde quietly asleep.

A platinum ring sparkled in the yellow light of a streetlight overhead, disappearing as soon as it gleamed brightest, over and over.

_Will you marry me?_

He actually said it. He asked the man of his dreams to marry him. Roy marvelled for a moment at his bravery, feeling much more triumphant for accomplishing this romantic conquest than surviving a thousand wars.

He slowed to a stop, checking quickly for any traffic, noticing a large line streaming past from his right. He sat back, waiting for them to go by, content in the silence with his lover. He studied Edward's slumbering form, for what felt like the first time, the teen's usual features rearranged. His bright pink lips were curled into a soft smile, the premature worry lines smoothed over and nonexistent. Even the harsh scars on his face were less defined, simply reverted to rolling foothills, as opposed to the jagged mountains they mimicked before.

The traffic ebbed, Roy snapped back to reality, and continued his way home.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Requesting assistance, there has been a crash near Fox and Harlington Drive. Repeat, request assistance, this is a military vehicle. A high security prisoner is being held, but is resisting. Request assistance!"

The black-uniformed military man turned back to his comrades, nodding slightly and drawing his gun.

"You there! Prisoner!" he addressed the loud banging coming from the damaged military van. "Be quiet!"

"Be careful who you order around there, Captain. You are talking to a superior officer!"

"Not anymore you're not! You're just a common criminal now, General. That's what you deserve for being a filthy rapist."

"Really, watch your mouth. The Fullmetal brat deserved what he got. He's Mustang's little lap dog now, what are the chances that that bastard didn't touch him yet?"

"Be quiet!"

The guard banged on the van's damaged hold, creating a hole.

"Dammit!" he cried, holding the flimsy metal shut. His strength was not enough, however, and the General burst from the hold, yanking the gun from the guards grasp in one fluid movement and shooting him directly in the forehead.

Three more shots sounded out, and before they could react, the remaining guards fell to the snowy pavement, dead.

The General held the gun aloft, smiling into the night sky, summoning up his knowledge of the military officers and locating Roy Mustang's home in his internal map.

Going left.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-eek

Roy smiled, noticing he was nearing Maple and Crescent, a signal he was closing in on his house. He looked to the left, distracted momentarily by the setting sun casting an orange light upon the river. The car rolled smoothly across the bridge, Roy turned his attention back to the road just in time to see a figure crossing the road just in front of him.

He swore aloud, loud enough to awaken Edward, who looked around fearfully before the car careened into the reinforced siding of the bridge, the force making him strike his head sharply on the window, knocking him unconscious. Roy slammed into the steering wheel, the air forced from his lungs, choking him. He silently thanked something for his slow careful driving, otherwise the two would be fighting for their lives in the river, as opposed to a few bruises from the low-impact crash.

Gasping slightly after recovering from the initial loss of breath, Roy looked over to Edward's slightly shaking form, touching him gently. The teen stirred, but did not open his eyes.

"Ed-" Roy cut himself off, coughing.

Releasing himself from his seat belt, the Colonel reached over the front seat, unclipping Edward from his. Immediately, the teen fell forward, the belt the only thing supporting him. Wincing with the strain, the older man pulled the younger away from the cracked glass of the window, intent on escaping from the unstable vehicle.

After a few strained seconds of shifting the semi-conscious teen from the car, Roy was surprised by another set of hands yanking him roughly from the interior of the car. At this, Edward opened his eyes, blearily watching Roy being dragged backwards, away from him.

"Rrr..." Edward tried desperately to speak his love's name, dissuade him from distancing himself. "Roy..."

A hand clamped over Roy's mouth, halting his response. He reached out, his eyes fixed upon the platinum ring.

"And now, I'm going to end this, Mustang." The voice whispered into his ear ran chills down Roy's spine, enunciations of terror etched firmly in acidic ink. Something sharp prodded into his back. "And a gun is too easy for you."

Roy had no choice but to follow along behind the person who was dragging him away from the car, his legs felt numb, he briefly wondered if he was paralyzed, with a fleeting stab of fear. Testing his theory, his moved his right leg, deeming it usable, jerking away from his captor.

A dry laugh from the man succeeded this, followed by a rough yank and a hard shock of pain as the Colonel was pushed fiercely against the stone railing of the bridge.

Roy winced in pain, prompting another laugh from the man. Blinking rapidly against the involuntary tears, Roy squinted at the man, noticing the roughly shaven face with a gasp. Tremblay.

"You're going to die, right now!" bellowed Tremblay, "At last..." The crazed man inhaled, savouring Roy's helplessness, pushing the thick blade to the latter's neck. "Go to hell." he whispered, pressing down and coaxing out a few pearls of blood and a suppressed scream.

_No, I can't die here. I need to be there for Edward... He needs me! I can't!_

A loud clapping sound split the tense air, cleaving through the silence with sharp stone spikes, transmuted from the stonework bridge. Edward burst from the car, stumbled, and raced for the others, just in time to see a tiny burst of blood issue from  
Roy's neck.

This small amount of blood, virtually harmless as it was, very nearly pushed him to the brink of a full-out rage. As it was, the momentum he had procured in his brief spurt of running was significant enough to knock the overbearing man aside, freeing Roy from the steel grip of the knife.

The Colonel slumped to the ground, his body protesting to all this mistreatment. The crash had hurt him more than he realised, feeling a powerful indolence sweep over him.

Edward crouched by his side, distracted by his lover's weakness.

"Roy?" he began, reaching out.

"This ends now." Tremblay yanked Edward to his feet, slashing wildly at his torso, severing the thick layers of fabric until he reached flesh. "Are you watching, Mustang? Look at him die."

The knife plunged into Edward's side, a diver in a shallow pool. The blonde felt it nick his automail, noticing the knife's path was not directly into him, but mostly into the toned muscles below the automail. This was hardly a comfort, however, the pain intensifying as the knife twisted, an intricate water ballet, a silver swimmer pirouetting in a crimson sea.

"And oops, don't fall."

Tremblay pushed the teen to the railing, shoving at his shocked torso until he fell over the side, the knife sliding smoothly out of the flesh.

He fell, for what seemed like an age, feeling the freezing air burn on his exposed flesh and face. Water rushed up at him, he landed in it, instantaneously feeling the steel limbs sinking. He struggled to stay afloat, the icy water pounding on his frail body.

He cried out for help, his words lost in the water that was rapidly filling his mouth. He gave a few more feeble kicks, propelling himself closer to the river's edge, before his body gave up on him completely. Several loud bangs and some shouting distracted him for a moment, before he felt the grip of the water latch onto his automail, transforming the limbs into anchors.

Cold surrounded him, filling his mouth and nose with a crimson cloud.

_Red water? Not again... No, wait. Blood. I'm bleeding again._

His mind was screaming, he wished he could join, the water forcing its way down his throat.

_I'm dying... it hurts..._

He was aware of another splash, purposeful and deep, a perfect dive, somewhere nearby. Feebly, he pawed through the crimson water, feeling a glimmer of texture before passing out completely, the cold grinning as it claimed its newest victim.

Roy swam underneath the water, frantically searching for his sunken treasure, desperate to see the familiar shine of gold.

For a brief moment, he thought he saw it, turning quickly and gliding towards it. A throbbing pain pulsed somewhere in his neck, blood tainting the water.

But... his neck wasn't bleeding that severely, it must be...

_Edward!_

Aware that he was going to have to go up for breath soon, Roy snatched at the water where it was the most opaquely colored red, praying earnestly for something there.

At last, he felt something touch him, a cold lifeless hand. He gripped it, surmising it to be the teen's automail, but gasped in surprise as he deemed it to be the left hand.

_He's not...!_

With a firm kick to the bottom of the shallow river, the Colonel swam for the dull surface, pulling the blonde behind him, claiming this salvaged treasure as his own.

His body protested loudly, its cries lost amid the gentle current of the river, washed away to some unknown destination. His muscles stiffened from the oxygen deprivation, causing him to sink, down and down...

He looked back, his mind racing feverishly. Edward's ghostly face floated lower still, metal weighing the tiny body down.

_What can I do?? I'm useless in the water! I can't do anything for him!!_

Air still remained in his mouth, he pulled the teen closer with his remaining strength, closing his lips over the blonde's, breathing the caged gust into his lungs. He waited, feeling himself losing clarity, watching the teen carefully. The golden hair flowed out behind him, framing him in a sort of halo, as the long hair was freed from any sort of restraint, water beckoning it here and there.

His final act before passing out completely was to grab each of the teen's hands, forcing them together, registering slightly that, had they been above water, the platinum ring would have made a resonant sound against the steel.

_You have to save us again..._

They sunk, hitting the bottom once more, the older man still clinging to the younger with the final vestiges of strength. A blue light shone from the teen's hands, glowing brightly clear through to the surface.

_I'm sorry._

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Brother!!! EDWARD!! Wake-"

Roy drifted in and out of consciousness, mildly aware of someone's firm hands pushing on his chest over and over.

"-dammit, breathe, Roy!"

He felt a sharp surge of pain in his chest, lips on his mouth sending air into his lungs.

_Ah, pain. I must be alive._

Another spasm of pain jolted his body, dispelling the water from his lungs, he winced in agony for each individual drop, feeling it spill over his mouth, gathering in the back of his throat. He was rolled on to his side, the water flowing freely from his mouth as his body was wracked with coughs. Someone was rubbing his back, a small encouragement that he was going to be okay.

After most of the water had evacuated his body, a thought took its place.

"Ed... ward..." he groaned, opening his exhausted eyes, already frantically searching for the golden teen.

"Be still." a voice commanded, he briefly noticed masculine tones. It must be Maes, nobody else would be so gentle. Except for Edward.

"My.. honey..."

"Edward!! Please brother!! What are you doing, don't stop!!" Alphonse's hysterical voice cut through the panicked crowd. The Colonel watched several pairs of hurried steps rush beside him, a blanket placed over his freezing body.

His breath shuddered, choppy and uneven. Hands worked around him, padding gently under the blanket, checking for any wounds.

"Ed..." he whispered, exhaling as one of the hands approached his heavily bruised chest. "Edward..." Although he did not know it, tears began falling out of his eyes as his brain finally realised what was happening. "No... Ed..."

Visions of the teen, smiling, warm, breathing, swam through Roy's head, drowning in the pain as the blonde had done in the icy water. The multiple hands shifted underneath him, lifting him upwards. Another round of somatic torture coursed through his veins, making him cry out, yet another indicator of his unstable state.

He was laid back down on a stretcher, the soft warm mattress tempting him back into sleep. "Is he... my... my Ed..." he gasped, gently touching a nearby hand.

"They're doing their best." came the ambivalent reply, Hughes' voice again.

A bandage was placed over the bleeding wound on his neck, more warmth to lull him to sleep. "No... he has to..."

A shot plunged into the flesh of his upper arm. Anesthetic.

"No, don't do... I need to know..." the drugs worked quickly, Roy was asleep seconds after he was injected.

"Brother, please!! WAKE UP!!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Fluorescent lights glared at the sleeping form of Roy Mustang, their gaze somewhat dulled.

_Beep. Whoosh. Beep. Whoosh._

_Ah that sound again. I hate this sound._ I must be dreaming.

Slowly and unsure of themselves, Roy's eyelids lifted, granting him an overly blurred image of a plain hospital roof.

He gasped, attempting to sit up, halted by the crushing pressure of bruising on his chest and a gentle touch on his shoulder.

"I said, be still, didn't I?"

Roy flopped back onto the bed, defeated by this simple sentence.

"Where's Edward?" he asked, in a surprisingly strong voice.

"He's-"

"Is he okay??" Roy's voice was being shredded by some creature of fear, the remains strange and distorted.

"He's in intensive care right now. He... hasn't woken up yet. They said he might-"

The Colonel let out a sound that was akin to a sob, trying to roll on to his side to disguise his tears. "No... no, he didn't have to. Why did he even get out of the car??"

"He saved you, didn't he?" Hughes asked, eyeing the bandage across Roy's throat. "That bothers you."

"I should be there for him. He doesn't need me to worry about too."

"That's part of a relationship, though. Especially a strong one. You look after each other."

Roy said nothing, tears still pouring ashamedly out of his midnight eyes.

"Here..." Maes took Roy's hand in his own, uncurling it and placing something cold in it. "Personal effects, they took them off for his surgery."

The raven-haired man stared at it, the cold platinum of Edward's engagement ring frosting his flesh.

His fist closed around it, warming the silver metal.

A tear fell onto the pillowcase.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

...-sighs- Ah, sorry for the late update. Usually I go for Tuesday, but I've been really busy lately! I was working on my fanfiction/English project thing "Don't Trouble Yourself" It's lame, but I got a 95! -sweat drops-

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, I'm sad now. We're almost at the end. Oh, and give me your thoughts on the ficlet thing. I don't know if I should write one or not.

Review for pie and cookies and cupcakes,

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	21. Memories

**Dead Line Chapter Twenty-One- Memories**

OHMYEFFINGGOLLYGEEWHIZ! I have officially reached twenty one! That's how many reviews I was stuck at for the longest time on my previous stories! So thank you, reviewers, and dedicated(?) readers, from the bottom of my heart!!!

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

Song Optimal: "Comatose" by Skillet

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"And oops, don't fall."

Roy stared transfixedly, the scene before him played in slow-motion; he watched Edward's fair face contort in pain, the image lost as the teen tumbled over the thick side of the bridge, his red velvet coat whipping the air.

_No!!_

Shaking slightly with the strain, Roy got to his feet, holding the railing for support. Tremblay was distracted, delighted by watching the blonde struggle against the water, his automail limbs a terrible burden.

The Colonel reached behind his back, brushing his hand against the cool metal of the gun he had tucked away in a hidden holster on his belt. He shook his head to scatter the pain, gripping the small gun in his trembling hand.

"How do you like that, Mustang? He's gone now!"

Roy yanked the gun from its hidden position, pointing it directly at Tremblay's forehead.

"I will save him, you SON OF A BITCH!!"

"What are you going to do? Are you going to kill-"

A shot sounded out, Tremblay fell to the pavement, a bullet wound to the left of his forehead. A subtle grin was still clinging to his face, pasted in place by his disbelief.

More out of rage than anything, Roy followed this up by three more shots, placed randomly in the General's body. He threw the gun at the deceased man, the metal weapon bouncing off him with the force. Immediately after, Roy stripped his thick coat off, rushing to the side of the bridge, scanning the water quickly for a disturbance. He sighted a foamy swirl of agitated water, leaping from the railing in a perfect dive, plunging into the river.

_Edward!! Where are you?_

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Roy awoke from his dream with a start, sweat speckling his pale face. His breath came in constrained bursts, choppy and labored.

He calmed himself after a moment of this exhausting stance, blinking quickly as he wondered what the moisture in his eyes was.

A doppelganger to his gentle weeping countered this, he looked over the room curiously, noticing a glimmer of blonde hair. His heart skipped a beat before he realised it was the wrong kind of blonde, instead a more straw color about it as opposed to his treasured gold.

He squinted, gathering dimly that the person in the room with him was actually Winry.

She was poring over something metallic, undoubtedly a spare attachment for Edward's arm or something. The Colonel shifted, shuffling himself into a semi-upright position, wondering why Winry of all people would be in his hospital room.

Wheezing slightly, he opened his mouth to speak, his words coming out as a rough cough instead. The girl jumped, looking up hastily.

Her blue eyes went wide as she realised Roy was awake, she placed the metal object to one side, hurrying over to the bed side, bowing deeply.

"I am so sorry!" she squeaked, tears still falling down her face. She brushed them away, Roy noticed she still had a wrench in her hand.

"Where's Edward?" Roy whispered, furrowing his brow slightly.

"He's-" Winry broke off, tears spilling over her downcast eyes.

"Where's Edward?" repeated the Colonel in a stronger voice.

"He's still asleep!" cried the girl, "He was in surgery again, for his broken ribs! I had to go in there, and take his automail off! The whole thing! Now he has to get it reconnected! I don't want to hurt him anymore!!" Winry sank to her knees beside Roy's bed, crying unashamedly before the Colonel.

He surveyed her through moist midnight eyes, his sight panning over to the metallic object on the table across the room. Upon deeper scrutiny, he did notice the delicate curves of the teen's metal arm, his insides twisting uncomfortably.

There had been a time when he had seen the golden teen with his arm missing, he had taken it in its stride then, but now... Now he felt genuine discomfort at the thought that his Edward was falling apart.

"They said he might not... he might not wake up..." Winry choked through her tears.

Roy's heart ran into overdrive before crashing completely, the remains strewn over the highway of his veins as the blood pumped irregularly.

"What?" he gasped weakly, his voice affected by the collision of his heart.

"He's in a coma... they said he might not wake up!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Nearly a month had passed since the Colonel had received the news that his precious, his angel, his Edward was trapped somewhere in a cage of the mind, unable to break free.

His visits were frequent and long, mostly in silence, his hand resting over the teen's aurum hair, stroking the strands into silken perfection. Occasionally he would whisper in his ear, hoping to elicit any sort of reaction from his love.

Every attempt to awaken the blonde resulted in failure, however, he would just remain inexpressive, the only sound coming from him the tired sigh as the machine respirated him.

The flowers that once graced the beautiful room in Roy's home were now gathered around the teen, guards against malevolence and discomfort. They were tended daily by the nurses and the Colonel, whenever he was in.

"Hey, baby..." Roy mumbled, leaning forward and kissing Edward's cheek, clearing his golden bangs from in front of his face.

The machines continued their noise.

Roy glanced at the clock, it was nearing one in the morning, but he needed to see his Edward after this long, tedious day. Routine overtaking him, Roy sank into the comfortable chair beside the teen's bed, resting his head on the mattress, feeling the sleep tugging persistently on his worn body.

A ghost of a dream swept over him, he remembered...

_The teen's hand stretched out, brushing the Colonel's nose. He complied with the silent requests, leaning closer to Edward's touch._

Roy positioned himself beside Edward's hand, feeling the cool touch against his cheek. How he longed for the fingers to move, caress him, touch.

The sleep tugged against him, winning the battle, dragging him down into the quiet folds of sleep.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sun spilled through the window, a puddle of light being happily splashed about by bits of dust flying in a subtle breeze.

A golden haired teenager opened his eyes for the first time in a long while. He blinked a few times, unsure of what exactly was happening. He was aware of several needles plunged into his veins, and something else on his hand, he couldn't tell what. A tube was placed below his nose, cool air rushing at him.

Weak from his stasis, he turned his head, his eyes taking in someone with jet black hair sleeping uncomfortably in the chair beside him, with their head resting on his hand. By the blue uniform, he supposed it to be someone in the military, wondering briefly why there was a soldier in his room.

He pulled his hand away, prompting the military man to mumble and shuffle in his sleep. As he turned his head, Edward noted with some confusion that it was the Colonel.

Slowly, the Colonel opened his eyes, they were unhurried in their ascent, dulled by sleep. He stared into Edward's eyes for a moment, certain he was still asleep.

_He's awake...?_

Roy sat up abruptly, his midnight eyes wild with wonder.

"Edward? You're awake!" Tears overflowed, unstoppable and forced out by the sudden burst of euphoria. Roy practically fell forward, embracing the blonde tightly. "You're awake, you're..."

Edward stiffened under the sudden touch, confusion etched over his features. "Colonel," he did not return the embrace, "What are you doing?"

The raven-haired man broke off slightly, studying Edward's face, "What?"

"What are you doing, Colonel?"

"Edward, what are you-" Roy brought his hand up to the teen's cheek, pushing the gold hair from his sight. The teen's obliviousness fell in a resounding shock wave over the Colonel's happiness, depleting it wholly. "You- you don't..." 

Roy stepped back, releasing the blonde from his grip. "You don't remember?"

Even in his dazed stupor, Edward noticed the deep hurt in Roy's voice, arching his eyebrow. "What's wrong with you, are-"

A scent registered in Edward's mind, sending a spiral of memories through his vision. A spicy smell.

_He felt himself leave the ground, lifted into someone's arms, someone that smelled of charcoal and something spicy...he reached for the soap, bringing it to his nose, at last realising the source of the spicy scent that hovered around the Colonel...Edward gasped in the sultry heat, a thermal storm raged inside him, pushing surge after surge of restoring heat to every corner of his body. _

Edward jumped, falling with a sharp thump into reality, watching the older man apprehensively. "Wh- what happened? What are- Why did you- I saw, I felt, no, no it's not possible." He gripped his head with his automail hand, tears pouring out. He screamed, clawing at his forehead in attempts to tear the memories from his mind.

"No! Stop!! STOP IT!!!"

Roy reached for the teen, gripping Edward's shoulder in a futile attempt to soothe the pervasive memories.

"Edward, Edward!! It's-"

His scream petering out, Edward halted his movements, his hands still pressed to his forehead. His entire body was shaking with seizure like tremors, he stared at the older man, his eyes unfocused.

"Edward, honey... are you okay?"

The deep resonance of Roy's voice shook Edward's fragile foundation, his sanity falling with the sound of cracking wood and steel. Pieces of his reality shattered as the glassy scene before him swelled with the pressure of the compounding forces.

Rain fell from the twin suns that were his irises, drenching the remains of the once strong structure of his mind. Before the area was condemned for danger, he spoke through the ruins, his voice a curl of smoke.

"Get away from me... Please, you make it hurt..."

The Colonel swallowed, begging for the pain in his chest to leave him, "Ed... I..."

"Please!!" The teen's voice cracked, a few more fragments of the building crashing down around him, "You're breaking me."

Roy flinched, covering the bottom half of his face with his hand, tears distorting his vision, smoke stinging the wetness out. He turned away, stifling a cry, and bolted from the room, nearly knocking a doctor to the ground in his haste to escape the smouldering wreck that was once his beautiful Edward.

He didn't care who saw him, he just ran, trying to escape from the memory that bit into his soul, piercing every thought with the debris of the pain.

He was mildly aware of someone finally halting him, a supportive arm over his chest, lowering him to the cool hospital tile. The sound of heavy breathing and his own heavily beating heart were the only things he sensed now, the pain too much to coherently comprehend.

"I can't love him?"

_No._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Roy awoke in his own bed, the isolation he felt always multiplied a hundredfold. He stared at the right side of the bed, still picturing the tiny blonde sleeping there beside him. It was a phantom that plagued him every morning, taunting his loneliness with a slideshow of his previous happiness.

He would become lost with the ghost of Edward, staring into the sightless golden eyes that still seemed to penetrate his soul. The vision would disappear with the sun; he always kept the curtains open.

At work, he was sullen and monotonous, completing his paperwork and duties in silence, his face a sombre mask of despair. His subordinates had tried to cheer him up with their usual antics, but their levity was wasted on the Colonel's gloom.

And now here he lay, uncomfortable, but not caring enough to move. It was cloudy today, he couldn't find the golden in the sunlight, instead feeling his own eyes fill with the wet grey of the rainy light.

He rolled over, burying his face in the pillow that Edward used to use, pretending he could still smell the teen's sweat on the surface.

_I miss you so much... I just want you to be awake, here with me..._

In a rush of thoughts and emotions, Roy remembered yesterday, that his Edward had awoken. A ribbon of happiness wrapped around his heart, binding it with fresh hope. Another thought jumped into acknowledgment, severing the ribbon into a frayed and tattered piece of thought, piercing through it and freezing his heart.

"_Get away from me, Please, you make it hurt."_

Roy curled into a ball under his crimson blankets, his arms wrapped around his head. A rage he had never known tore through his body, twisting his muscles in emotional agony. Every part of him became tense with the feeling, this pain entirely unreal.

He screamed, his body so frustrated out of lack of understanding the feeling. He felt tears pool underneath his face on the red pillow, vaguely wondering if he could drown himself in them.

With a violent punch to his own forehead, Roy sat up, hugging his knees. His cheeks were flushed angrily, tears scorching his eyes in bloodshot hues.

The rational part of his mind was trying to decipher exactly what he was feeling now, sorting each of the separate emotions into their own categories. The most easily discernible was anger, boiling and hot, seething through him and overriding the other compounding emotions. There was also sadness, the kind that makes your chest ache with a pressure that is impossible to dispel.

He was aware that he was rocking back and forth, wishing for the teen to take the pain he felt and tear it away, fitting the happiness and love back into his life.

He stood abruptly, walking across the room, mildly aware of the fact he was wearing something other than what he remembered wearing yesterday. He spotted his uniform on the chair beside his bed, noting that he was shirtless, with his dark blue pajama pants slung around his hips.

As if in a daze, he stumbled across the black carpeting, turning to the right and opening the door to Edward's room. The light was forgotten, Roy stumbled through the room blindly, making his way to the back, his eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to see the curtains and throw them wide. The grey light was still very bright on his darkened eyes, causing him to step back, shielding his vision.

The beautiful white bed stood majestically before him, still exactly as it was the last time Edward was sleeping in it. He could hardly believe it had been an entire month since he had been here, since that day...

The day that he had proposed to Edward.

His fingers worked absentmindedly to his throat, running the shaking tips over the thick chain he wore, the platinum color identical to the ring that rested over his heart. He slid the ring on his own finger, hindered slightly by the reduced size due to the thick chain.

He brought the ring to his lips, closing his eyes and kissing it softly, feigning belief that it was the gentle brush of Edward's lips.

Tears fell freely once again, he lowered himself beside the bed, running his hand over the disturbed blankets, murmuring to an unseen force as he did so.

"Wake up, Edward... wake up..."

He shifted into the bed, his hand brushing a fabric different fro the blankets and sheets. Two robes were draped haphazardly on the bed, one dark blue like his pants, and the other the purest of white. They both smelled of Edward, Roy immersed himself in the soft fabric, drowning in the pleasant intoxication of the scent. Several smells were woven intricately in the cloth, there was something like flowers, with a sharp undercurrent of Edward's sweat. A spicy scent was subtle, but still present, one Roy determined to be his own soap.

He hugged these snippets of his love close to himself, feeling the sadness overwhelm any anger. His chest ached with the teen's rejection, he squeezed the fabric tighter, clenching his teeth.

_I want to be with him so badly, but I'm the one who makes him remember what happened. So I'm the one who does all those horrible things to him. I can't be with him without those memories to break him. It's unfair._

"It's unfair!!!" he bellowed to no one, pounding on the white bed.

"_You're breaking me."_

_You're breaking me..._

_I'm sorry... I can't love you anymore..._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hmm, and here I thought I might make it happy for Christmas, but here I am, posting on Christmas with a super upsetting chapter.

Happy Xmas to all you angst fans out there, this is my gift to you. To anyone who doesn't like Torture!Ed/Roy, I shall try for something a little more happy in future chapters. And if you like, Tremblay's death is a gift to everyone. Yay!!

Also sorry for the late update, no Internet for me, because it's Christmas break! Ah the life of a student.

Milk and cookies for reviewers!

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	22. Remember

**Dead Line Chapter Twenty Two- **

Holy you guys, thank you so much for the reviews, I thought I'd get flamed out of my mind for what I did there. Sorry for the angstyness on Christmas, I promise they'll get better! There's at least fluff in this one!

Well, here we go...

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Crimson blankets spread underneath him, he could feel the luxurious texture on his skin, as he discovered he was naked. This didn't seem like a pressing concern, he was waiting for something, very impatiently. His heart was beating resoundingly loudly, he thought it was shaking the area around him.

A drop of water fell down his nose, he noticed his hair was wet, and smelled spicy, like that scent he had smelled before. He grinned in pleasure.

A voice spoke from somewhere behind him, slow and deep, "You're ready? Are you sure?"

The teen complied with a positive response, inviting the other man closer to him.

A hot presence enveloped him, he felt so happy, there was nothing like this. He held onto the crimson blankets for some sort of release, unable to keep the inexorable passionate bliss within him at the same time as the hot presence.

Eternity passed, he was sweating heavily, gasping for air after the heat subsided somewhat.

Suddenly there were flowers everywhere, brilliant red. He rolled over, brushing his hand over someone's skin, feeling a cool sweat on the tan surface.

_Who are you?_

He squinted at the person beside him, reaching forward to clear the blurred vision away.

_Show me who you are! I need to know, I love you!_

The person cleared their visage, revealing the sleeping form of Colonel Roy Mustang.

_How? The Colonel? He wouldn't... I must be dreaming._

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Good morning brother!" A metallic voice greeted Edward upon his awakening, Alphonse clanged over to the hospital bedside, his hands forward to touch his brother.

The elder Elric opened his eyes wider, still feeling the indescribable happiness coursing through him.

"Did you have a good dream, Ed?" Alphonse asked, with a tinge of laughter in his voice.

"Huh, how would you-?" Edward blushed, sitting up and pulling his blankets more thickly around his stimulated midsection. His face steadily increased in the intensity of the red, coloring his face brightly. "Um."

Alphonse merely laughed in response, shaking his metal head in exasperation. "How did you sleep?"

"It was good."

"I'll bet."

"Ha ha, Al."

"So, how are you feeling now, brother?"

"Slow, we need to go spar or something. My muscles feel really weak."

"That's because... Oh, I was supposed to ask you some questions..." Alphonse reached for a sheet of paper on the night stand, uinfolding it and reading the doctor's almost illegible writing.

"What day is today?"

"Um, I think it's October First? How long have I been here?"

Alphonse stared, the glowing lights of eyes widening. "You don't remember... anything?"

"About what? What day is it?"

"It's... the fourteenth of December."

Edward blinked, staring critically at his brother. "What?" he whispered, "You're lying. That's not possible. All this time, I've been here, when I could have been finding a way to make you... I don't believe this!"

"Brother..."

"What happened to me, Al?" Edward kept his voice even, but his younger sibling could sense the suppressed emotions in it.

"You were kidnapped and tortured, and um-"

"Tell me everything, Al. I need to know."

"You were sexually assaulted, by a guy named General Tremblay. He's dead now, the Colonel killed him."

Edward ran his fingers over his exposed chest, feeling the uneven texture of the damaged skin. His hand travelled up his throat, the thick wounds still rough against the unblemished portions. He gasped, arriving at the scars on his face.

"Al, tell me now, _everything_. Please."

Alphonse launched into a tentative recollection of the events of the past two months, glossing over the parts that involved the Colonel.

"I stayed with the Colonel? Why didn't I stay with you?"

"You wanted to go with him, because you lo-"

"What?"

"You and the Colonel were... in love. He kissed you, I remember, when you first woke up from the surgery."

"Why can't I remember any of this? I would remember if he finally told me... I know I would!"

"I have some pictures that Hughes gave me... do you want them?"

"Of me... and R-Roy?"

Alphonse noticed his brother's hesitance to say his lover's name, retrieving the pictures from the inside of the book he was previously reading. "Are you sure? What if they trigger something? Last time you saw the Colonel, you didn't take it very well."

"I just woke up, Al. I wasn't prepared for anything then, he caught me off guard. I can handle it."

"Okay, brother." Alphonse was unconvinced, but handed the pictures to him anyway.

Edward riffled through the small stack of pictures, halting on one where it looked as if they were at a restaurant. The room was purple, he stared at the Colonel's photographic face, feeling a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach as he studied the frozen but very genuine smile.

"_Edward Autumn... will you marry me?"_

"Yes..." murmured the blonde, brushing his fingers over the older man's face.

"Brother?"

"Where's my ring, Al?"

"What ring?"

Edward looked at his left hand noticing his very bare fingers. "My ring that Roy gave me."

"You never had one on. But-"

Edward directed his golden eyes up at his brother, forcing the answer out with his look.

"The Colonel wears a ring on a chain around his neck, I saw it yesterday."

"Well, I want it back." Edward slid out of the bed, shakily standing beside his brother.

"Ed, you shouldn't get out of bed, you're not ready yet."

"I need to know what happened from him, I need to know if we-" Edward halted, unsure whether or not to vocalise the relationship he and the Colonel shared. "If we were really together." he finished ambiguously.

"I have to come with you."

Edward stared at the suit of armour, noticing the sincere care in his voice. He nodded, spreading his arms and hugging Alphonse around the middle. His arms didn't reach all the way around, instead stopping somewhere on the sides of Alphonse's back.

"I love you brother..." the armour mumbled, patting Edward's hair, worried for the results of his sibling's stubborn actions.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alphonse got out of the car, helping his brother out of it and supporting him as he waved off the lower ranking officer, who still looked concerned.

The car pulled out of Roy's driveway, leaving only one, snow-covered military car. Alphonse led the blonde up the brickwork path, holding his wrist securely in case the teen slipped.

They made their way up the three steps that led to the Colonel's door, Alphonse ringing the doorbell before ascertaining that it must not be working, and so knocked loudly on the door.

"Colonel Mustang? Are you home?"

"Unless he went for a walk, he must be at home, his car is still here." mumbled Edward, seeming to be struggling with something.

"Ed, what's the matter?" Alphonse sensed the teen's discomfort.

"I'm remembering, this is my home..." Edward said quietly, looking down, anticipating what would come next.

"Brother, your home is in Resembool, with Winry and me,"

Edward remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"Let's go in," he said eventually, brushing past, biting his lip.

He opened the door, a scent washing over him, the same one that barraged him in the hospital. That spicy smell...

_He was being carried away from that place, he was in so much pain, but the person holding him was so warm-_

"Brother, hey!" Alphonse's worried voice sounded from behind Edward, who swayed in response, quickly stepping ahead to disguise his brief recollection.

"Upstairs... I have to go upstairs..."

"Are you sure? I don't think the Colonel is here, should we go snooping around his house? What if we get in trouble?"

"This is my home." stated Edward firmly, limping over to the stairs, favoring his left leg.

Alphonse didn't give the statement a reply, instead following his brother and making sure he didn't fall down the stairs.

After reaching the landing, Edward looked around, his scattered memories directing him to the right, towards a red room. They stepped inside, the shorter of the two closing his eyes to absorb the scent of the room within.

"It's here, I know it. My memory, it's somewhere here." the teen had the look that he usually got when thinking deeply about something, a detached, glazed-over look and a quiet flat voice that was devoid of emotion. "I can feel it, it's trying to come back."

"Edward..."

"But it's not here. It's not this room."

"Brother, I don't think the Colonel is here, we should leave."

"I have to find it, it's so close."

Alphonse shook his head, stepping out of the room, watching Edward as he walked past, as though in a trance. "I'll wait for you downstairs, brother. Call me if you need any help. And don't you dare try to go down the stairs without me."

The blonde nodded, his steps guided by an unseen force. Something was directing his feet, pointing them down the hallway, to a door that was ajar. He pushed it open, memories layered on top of reality. His mind projected images of flowers in the room, the exact flowers that graced his hospital room.

"I found it, it's in here."

Slowly, he stepped forward, losing his balance, and reaching out for anything to support him. He gripped the dark wood, almost falling to the floor.

With mainly his automail arm, he pulled himself up, straining as the metal tugged unnaturally on his flesh. A light shone from somewhere beyond, he made his way toward it, stumbling across the floor, gripping boxes and dressers that lined the path to the light. He knew somewhere in that light, he would find what he was looking for.

There was a bed before him, somewhat of a surprise, he was concentrating deeply on the light, unaware of what was in front of it. He crawled to it, there were no longer any boxes to support him.

_My memory... it's there..._

He felt the soft fabric of the blanket against his flesh hand, tugging on it to hoist himself on to the huge white bed. He rested there, with his face buried in a feather pillow, regaining his energy to continue searching for his lost memory.

A sound made him stiffen, on edge that the Colonel had returned and was going to yell at him for breaking and entering. He lifted his head, noticing with a stab of fear that someone else was occupying the bed.

Said person was the one making the noise, a shuddering sob breaking from their lips. Edward tentatively reached forward, touching the shaking body.

Immediately, the person rolled over, midnight eyes wet and wide. Edward stared as he realised it was the Colonel, his brain telling him the closeness was awkward, and that he should move, but he did not, secretly enjoying the narrow proximity.

Roy reached forward silently, stroking the teen's cheek, still utterly convinced that he was dreaming, the sun shining down, and granting him his beloved hallucination. "Hello, my beautiful..." he mumbled, his hand lingering on the blonde's face.

"Colonel... um, Roy... It's me, Edward..."

A tear fell across the bridge of Roy's very straight nose, creating a damp spot on the white pillow, a puddle of darkness amidst the purity of the fabric. "You're actually here? You're not a dream?" The raven-haired man's voice was tightened, and more high-pitched than usual, his disbelief obvious.

Tentatively, Edward lifted his left arm, placing his fingers over the tear-stained skin of Roy's cheek. "I'm here..." He looked at his hand, noticing again the absence of his ring.

Roy choked back a cry, hiding his face from the teen. His shoulders shook with suppressed cries, "How? How do you remember? You didn't love me. You were free from everything." whimpered the Colonel, revealing his tear-filled eyes, the cobalt shining with enhanced clarity.

"Free? From what? The stuff Al told me about? That-"

"Get away from me! I'll only make you remember, I don't want you to feel that ever again, even if I have to give you up! Please, I don't want that for you!" Roy pulled away, his tears still falling freely. Rustling the blankets slightly, he made to get out of the bed, halted by Edward's voice, quiet and small.

"Please don't. I want to know exactly what happened. You're the only one who knows."

Edward sat up with considerable difficulty, grabbing at the older man's shirt. The Colonel jerked away, his back to the very confused blonde.

Recoiling slightly, the younger of the two felt his lip trembling, Roy eliciting a reaction he had never anticipated. "Are you mad at me?" he asked, absent-mindedly pulling on his braid.

"I don't want you to remember me, because you'll know all of the things that made you love me. All that pain and suffering made you come to me. That's the only reason."

"I love you now. I have since the day I first saw you, I think. I don't know what happened, but if it let us be together, I want to-"

"You don't want to remember any of that!" Roy rounded on the teen, who looked positively terrified at the raised voice. "You don't want to be tortured and raped, spend days, weeks in the hospital, only to have maybe one good moment with me! I'm not worth all that!"

"Yes, you are." Edward said simply.

Roy stood up, advancing on the bewildered teen. "I'm not. You're happy now, right? These things you've heard about, it's like they never happened to you. Why don't you understand? You can go one like it never happened!" Roy was centimetres from the blonde's face now, shouting out his frustration. "Please, it's what I want for you! I don't want to see you suffer like that, to be afraid of everything but- "

"You?" Edward filled in.

The Colonel lowered his voice, looking down. "I want you to leave me. You need to move on and be happy. Without me."

"I can't, I made a promise to you. When you said…"

_Edward Autumn, will you marry me?_

"…that you wanted to marry me, I said yes. I made a promise. And I keep my promises." Edward lifted Roy's chin with a semi-curled fist, making the older man look directly into his eyes. "Because this is something two people share. You're still bound by the promise…" the blonde reached into Roy's half-unbuttoned shirt, "…right? I remember."

His fingers wrapped around a thick chain, pulling it from the inside of the shirt; it was still warm from being close to Roy's skin, the load on it equally so. Edward turned the ring around the chain, slipping it onto his finger, the empty void feeling subsiding at last.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Roy drew the blonde closer to himself, hugging the petit body, smelling the delicate scent that hovered around him.

"Do you really remember?"

Edward lingered in his still position beside Roy's body, allowing himself this time of bliss. "Yes." he lied.

"Edward… don't lie to me."

"Why can't I be with you now? You just proved it, I can be near you without those memories. I want to stay here, with you." He straightened, standing on tiptoes to bring the older man's lips closer to his, kissing them softly.

A spark shocked both of them upon impact, coursing through the teen's body, jolting memories and fears into life. He shook with the reiteration of the lost emotions, gravity working a hundredfold on his tiny body.

Hands grabbed him more forcefully, supporting him as he crumpled to the floor. His eyes were wide with shock, seeing something that was invisible to the other man.

Every memory of the past two months rushed back at him, the tidal wave of events, horrific and screaming, coupled ungracefully with exquisite bliss. The weight of the forces pressing on him washed him away, drowning him in the pain and happiness.

_--Woof, woof, little dog--_

"No… I didn't want you to-"

A snippet of Roy's voice broke through the ocean of confusion, offering the teen air to survive.

He coughed and choked, desperate to find his way out of the unforgiving tide.

_A man advanced on him, pulling down his pants, exposing him fully to the cold air-- "R-Roy, you know I love you, right?"-- He was huddled against a muddy brown wall, shivering in the icy rain. -- "Y-you came…" Roy bent down, placing a chaste kiss upon his lips-- "You're beauty with something behind it, intelligence, and a story."-- A thermal storm raged inside him, he gasped in the sultry heat.--_

"I love you, I want you to be happy, why didn't you listen to me?"

Edward blinked, realising he was laying horizontally on the large white bed. Roy was clutching his hand, kissing the scarred surface.

He shifted on the bed, bringing his automail hand to his eyes to wipe away the wetness that managed to remain in his eyes even though he had escaped the tumultuous ocean of memory.

"Roy…" he whispered, new clarity restored to his golden irises. He sat up, grabbing the older man's shoulder and pulling him close. They stayed there, awkwardly hugging, for an indiscernible amount of time, both their thoughts and emotions exchanged silently, through tears and caresses.

"I remember everything… I remember loving you."

Roy merely cried.

Alphonse poked his head into the room, silent to anyone else. He watched as the two alchemists kissed passionately, falling carelessly onto the bed. They were linked by a chain, from Roy's neck to Edward's ring finger. The blonde's automail hand worked the buttons loose on the older man's shirt, stripping it away completely. Roy's hands were occupied in the same action, gently removing the teen's shirt. Their lips never parted throughout the entire ritual, the distance an unthinkable concept to both of them.

Had he been able to, Alphonse would have blushed, scurrying away from the door, and hurrying back downstairs as if he had never been upstairs to check on his brother at all.

He was in much more capable hands now.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Wooo, finally done! This chapter took FOREVER!! It was really a challenge for me. And yay! Fluff! I know that's what you wanted readers/reviewers!

And Implied Lemon! Yay! This chapter makes me happy. It's not my best work, I admit, but hey, it's done now.

One/two chapter(s) left. -joins into collective "awwww"-

But I'll be starting my actual story, with my own characters and everything. If I ever get published, I'll thank you all for supporting me through this Writers training. Because that's what fan fiction is.

Offers pie and cookies and cupcakes,

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	23. Chain

**Dead Line Chapter Twenty three- Chain**

Hardly anyone came back! Thank you to anyone who stuck with it! A happy ending for you! -throws fluff in the air-

So I take it everybody hated me on chapter Twentyone?

Sorry for the late update! Finals! **--"**

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

White sheets and blankets spread out underneath them, the blonde's pale skin almost matching the hue. He gripped a feather pillow with his steel hand, hearing the manufactured joints groan with the strain.

He freed a moan of pleasure from his lips, burying his face in the same pillow. A warm presence descended on him, hot sweaty flesh resting on his heaving back.

Lips worked their way across his shoulder blades, tiny kisses promenading over his neck. The lips ceased kissing, words working through them and interrupting the osculation.

"I love you, Edward Autumn..." gasped the older man, his hand working over the teen's, flesh fingers interlocking with steel.

One last thrust, and they broke apart, still connected by the thick sturdy chain from Roy's neck to Edward's finger. They lay beside each other on the disarrayed white bed, breathing heavily.

Roy cleared the sweat-soaked hair from his lover's face, drinking in his essence. "I can't wait to spend forever with you."

"We're in the middle of forever. We've already started." 

Roy grinned, pulling Edward's naked body closer to his own. Simultaneously, they reached for the thick comforter, tugging it over each other, tucking it in to lock out the chill of Roy's house.

"We're going to have to move eventually, you know." Edward pointed out, shifting his metal leg over Roy's. A shiver ran up the raven-haired man's spine, goosebumps tickling all over him.

"Not yet..." he breathed, stifling Edward's response with a kiss.

"Al is waiting for me. He doesn't know what I'm doing. He's probably cleaning your house, that's what he does when he's worried."

o-o-o-o

Alphonse put the dustpan back in the closet, slumping defeatedly onto Roy's sofa, his glowing eyes surveying the immaculately clean house.

O-o-o-o

"What a weird way of dealing with things." Roy commented, snuggling closer still.

"Whatever works." shrugged Edward, a smile stuck permanently to his face.

"Well, I don't want to worry him _too_ much."

"Just enough to clean your house, am I right?"

The Colonel snickered in return, rubbing his nose against Edward's. They lay in silence for a moment, Edward fingering his platinum ring.

"I just realised... you don't have a ring, do you?"

Roy gazed at his lover, an eyebrow quirked in curiosity. "No, I don't..."

"Well, that's not fair. We're sharing this relationship, aren't we? You need one if I have one."

Before Roy could respond, the teen brought his hands together in his signature hand clap, running his fingers over his automail, and separating a few key metals, a blue light dancing over his entire arm. He gathered the metals into his hand, forcing them into a solid metal conglomerate of a ring. As a finishing touch, he bent forward, some of his brilliant golden hair catching into the transmutation and weaving intricate designs on the surface of the steel/chrome ring.

He sighed, the blue light fading; he handed the transmuted ring to the older man, smiling in a strained way.

"There.. now we're equal..." He slipped the ring on the Colonel's ring finger, his hand cold against the warm flesh.

"Ed, honey... are you okay?" Roy asked, stroking his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just tired..." the blonde smiled again, discomfort etched into his gentle features. "And..." he winced, holding his side underneath his automail. "...it hurts."

"Do you have your painkillers with you?"

"Al-Al has them..."

"I'll be right back, okay?"

"Don't forget to get dressed... remember last time?"

Shaking his head, Roy made to roll over, halted in his action by the chain still attached to Edward's hand. Their eyes met, both of them registering the tightness of the chain holding them together.

Each link was forged from their experiences, the metal structured from cold unfeeling steel, shining as brightly as the afternoon sun. Without every link, the two could not be together, the events of the chain holding them as one. It was a strong chain, unbreakable and thick. Piece by piece, the metal was brought together through fire, twisting and bending to create a physical representation of their lives, Flame and Fullmetal.

Tentatively, as if he were afraid of the consequences, Roy's reached around his neck and unclasped the necklace. With the same aura, Edward slipped his ring off, dragging the silver metal from inside it, letting the silver chain pool on the disturbed sheets..

Hie fitted his ring back in place, flinching at the pain in his side once more, a signal to the older man to complete his semi-commenced task. With a small sigh of exhaustion, the blonde fell deeper into his pillow, quietly watching the Colonel search for the location of his underwear. After nearly five minutes of searching, Roy was fully dressed, ready to go forth and socialise with others in a more dignified countenance than his preceding attempt with his wonky toga.

Tenderly, he placed a kiss on Edward's forehead, brushing the strands of golden hair away from the teen's pale skin.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-yay!!!

"Oh, Colonel! How are you today?" Alphonse clanged toward the man, his arms held wide. "Where's my brother? Is he-?"

"He's upstairs, sleeping."

"Oh, I didn't think he'd be able to stay up very long..." Alphonse paused, looking down at Roy, his glowing eyes boring into the midnight depths of the raven-haired man's irises. "Does he remember you?"

A small smile flitted across Roy's face, an obvious indicator to the positive.

"I'm- sorry if he hurt you."

Roy felt his heart beat still pounding in his chest from his actions with the golden teen, more aware of it as the room descended into silence.

"I could tell, he hurt you terribly. He would never do that purposefully. I wanted you to know, that he loves you, he would never want you to be sad."

Roy nodded, feeling the aching emptiness rear its bestial head in his chest once more, the pain of his loss returned for a brief moment. He swallowed, trying to expel the emotion through a harsh exhalation, the agony rushing from him in a gust of air, replaced by the almost untetherable euphoria at the restoration of his lover's memory.

"Colonel, are you all right?"

"I'm..." Roy thought seriously about his reply, "...fine. I'm just fine." He smiled, looking up into Alphonse's white/red eyes.

"I'm happy to hear that."

"Oh... do you have Edward's medication?" asked Roy, "He needs some."

Alphonse strode over to the hallway, bending and retrieving what Roy recognised as Edward's small suitcase.

He handed the case to the raven-haired man, placing it in his hands with a solemn gentility. The Colonel held it to his chest, all at once registering the deeper meaning behind the younger Elric's sobering gesture. Alphonse's gloved hand lingered on the handle, loosely gripping it.

"Take care of him. He needs you more than you know." the armour said quietly, his voice a whisper in the steel.

"He can't leave you behind-"

"He won't. I know he'll try his best. But he needs you right now. If it means my brother will smile again, and be happy, I can wait forever. I just need to know that you can take him, and love him, as much as I have. If you can promise me that, I'll be okay."

Roy took in the depth of the boy's statement, nodding slowly. The younger Elric released the handle, letting the older man take it in his arms, holding it as gently as he did its owner.

"Okay... I promise. I will take good care of him." he whispered, running his fingers over the dented leather surface.

Alphonse seemed to smile, the sharp edges of his armour softening. "I know you will. I know it!" the boy actually sounded excited.

"I should probably go and-"

"Yes, Brother needs his medicine! I'll wait down here." Alphonse 'smiled' once more, his voice warming his appearance.

Roy returned the smile, heartfelt and true. He slowly made his way back to the white attic room, his mind fully absorbed with thoughts about the golden teen still waiting for him.

_He's mine...I have to take good care of him..._

Roy stopped to retrieve a glass of water from the washroom before reentering the attic room. He placed it on the ivory white night table beside the white bed, reaching forward to rouse Edward from his quiet nap. Noticing a silver glint below him, he glanced down to discover the teen had arranged the chain into the shape of a heart, distorted slightly by the crinkles in the bedsheets.

Smiling at the utter cuteness of his lover, Roy gently gathered the silver chain from the bed, placing it on the nighttable beside the water. He sank on to the edge of the bed, tentatively placing his hand on the teen's hip, the pressure enough to make him stir.

Two golden eyes slitted open, cloudy for a brief moment, before skies cleared and the sunshine of clarity shone through. A smile fluttered over Edward's lips, parting fractionally to speak, "Hey..."

"I brought your medicine..." Roy placed the suitcase on the bed beside the teen, popping it open. It took him a full minute to locate the small pill bottle, tipping two of the small white tablets into the palm of his hand. He gave them to the teen, making sure he drank enough water to wash them down properly.

"Just rest here, okay? I'll be right downstairs."

"What are you doing downstairs?"

"I feel like baking."

Edward looked genuinely confused, before deciding that he would find out in due time, and closed his eyes, slumping heavily on the silk pillow.

After quietly placing the still-open suitcase on the floor, Roy crept away from the blonde's bed, grinning in anticipation of his lover's face when he returned with his arms full of delicious baked goods.

He was preparing cookies, cupcakes, and a large apple pie for said lover with Alphonse, when they were interrupted by the doorbell ringing, the chime-like tone ringing throughout the house.

Roy hurried to the door, for fear that persistent ringing would awaken the sleeping blonde. He yanked it open before his visitor could pound on the bell any longer.

Not to any real surprise, he met the beaming face of Maes Hughes, sighing and opening the door wider.

"Hiya Roy! I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd come by and say hi!" Maes pushed his way into the house, a large bag of something swinging from his arm. "Wow, something smells good! Are you baking again? I haven't tasted your baking since college!!" He strode into the kitchen, waving exuberantly at the suit of armour carefully watching the pie bake.

"Hey, Al! How's it going?"

"Oh, hello, Major!" Alphonse bowed, as formal as ever.

Hughes smiled, plunking the bag onto the black marble counter. "Is Edward here?" he asked, suddenly serious.

Alphonse inclined his head to Roy, who had just reentered the kitchen. The older man nodded, a small smile curling his lips upward.

"Well, excellent! Now I don't have to go to the hospital to ask him!"

"Ask him what?" questioned Roy, grabbing a pair of oven mitts and opening the oven.

"If he wanted to go skating today." replied Hughes, deftly stepping aside as the raven-haired man moved past with his hands full of apple pie.

"You wanted to go skating with Edward?"

"Elicia wants to go skating with all three of you. And I can't possibly deny my little sweetums her very first skating trip with her big brothers and her uncle Roy!!"

"I haven't got any skates."

"Not to worry! I went out today and picked up a pair for both you and Edward!"

Roy thought for a moment, before his mind presented him with no other feasible arguments, before nodding, retrieving the cookies from the oven as well. The suit of armour busily began removing the cookies from the sheet, placing them neatly on a large purple plate.

"And of course, Edward can just transmute some skates for Al here," Hughes said, grinning widely.

The younger Elric looked up hurriedly, "Okay!"

"We'll go when Edward wakes up, okay?" Roy bent down, staring at the cupcakes. "Ten minutes."

"Short nap." commented Maes, shrewdly snatching a cookie and chomping it.

"The cupcakes will be done in ten minutes," clarified Roy, "Edward can wake up whenever he wants."

"Agreed."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-whee!!

The sound of piano filled the room, Edward noted; the tune was gentle, he knew it before...

D f e f g a f e d

d f e f g c a g a

d f e f g a f e d

d c d d e f e d d

a g a g a a c g

a g a g d e f g e

a g a e d a c g

a g a b g a a

**(1)**

He sat up, feeling the chill of the attic room sweep over his naked chest. The smell of warm baking filled his senses, making him sink back down onto the comfortable bed with a sigh of contentment. The music ceased suddenly, he guessed that the player knew he had awoken.

Footsteps sounded across the hardwood floor, approaching the bed.

"Ed, honey? You awake?"

"Yep." Edward made to get up out of the bed, but stopped upon realising that he wasn't wearing anything. He pulled the white comforter around his waist, getting to his feet and hugging the older man around the waist. "Thanks for the song... you wrote it, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." Roy blushed a fraction, "You hummed it to yourself, and you got it stuck in my head, months ago... I had to write it, so I could play it."

"My mom would hum it to me... she said she didn't know the words, and that I should write them one day... just for her and Al to enjoy..."

"I would listen too."

Edward looked into his lover's midnight eyes, "Thanks... I'll write it one day. You can play the piano part for me."

"It's a deal."

They stood in silence, arms wrapped around one another, when rather abruptly, Roy began to chuckle.

Edward arched a thin eyebrow, "What?"

"I promised we'd go skating another day, remember? Maes is here, Elicia wants to go skating with us today."

"Really?"

"Really. He brought skates and everything."

"Well, I should probably put some clothes on then."

"Yeah, I have just the thing. Wait here." Roy stepped away, his presence the only thing holding the blanket on Edward's naked body. The ivory folds pooled around the teen's feet, like a puddle of his beauty below his sublime body. Scars were whiter than the surrounding skin, drawn in spiderwebbing patterns over his soft flesh. His golden hair, a month's length longer, fell gracefully around him, swaying gently as he sank back onto the bed, awaiting what his lover was bringing him.

Roy shook his head, smiling and going to retrieve the teen's clothing.

He impatiently rummaged around in his closet for that bag, he had received the contents of it nearly a month ago, now where was it?

At last he had located the dark blue clothing bag, drawing it out from underneath a red turtleneck sweater. He hurried back to the attic room, holding the long clothing bag out to the teen, who was now wearing a pair of shiny black boxers.

"What is that?" the blonde questioned, taking the bag gently, feeling the contents curiously.

"Open it," prompted Roy, indicating the zipper.

Edward sat on the bed, laying the bag beside him, and unzipped the length, the fabric parting to reveal a crimson red kimono, embroidered with golden dragons and flowers.

The blonde gaped at the beauty of the fabric, gingerly touching it, feeling the texture of the silk. "It's -beautiful." he squeaked after a minute, looking back at the older man.

"My mother, in Xing, she makes these for a living. I asked her to make this one just for you."

"It must have taken so much time! It's beautiful!" he repeated, "Thank you so much!!" Edward hugged the raven-haired man around the waist once more, grinning widely.

"You're very welcome, do you want help putting it on?"

"Please." Edward carefully pulled the kimono from the bag, letting the older man take it, putting the first layer on, a creamy white ultra-soft fabric covering his scarred torso. "Wow, there's pants too!"

He tugged the black, somewhat tight pants on, tying them at the waist. Roy slipped the thick silk kimono over his shoulders, hands feeling the muscles he was covering up and he worked up the teen's arm. He folded the front together, hands massaging the blonde's chest.

Grinning, Edward placed the thick black sash in the Colonel's hands, allowing him to smooth it over his stomach and tie it around his slender waist.

He was spun around, Roy plunging into his with a deep, diving kiss. They broke off, Edward nearly swooning.

"Red is the color of marriage, you know," the older man whispered.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-whoo!!

"Big brother Al! Watch me spin!"

Elicia spun like a top on the ice, slipping over to where Roy and Edward were just lacing up their skates. "Hi, Uncle Roy! I was wondering when you'd get here!" She turned her attention to Edward, taking in the red kimono. She gasped, "Big Brother Ed! You look so pretty!!"

The teen blushed, standing up precariously on his skates. He wobbled, almost falling before a supporting arm wrapped around his shoulder, Roy stood beside him, pushing him gently onto the ice.

"Have fun you guys!" Elicia waved, sliding off in the other direction, to where her parents were sitting. Alphonse skated by on his transmuted skates, and held her hand, picking her up halfway there.

"Wheeee!!!"

Hughes got up from the bench, kissing Gracia on the cheek, and skated expertly over to where the couple was clumsily getting the hang of the whole task.

"That foot, that foot! Ooh, watch out!"

"Having fun?" Hughes asked, literally skating circles around the pair.

They both answered with lopsided grins, still concentrating on remaining upright.

"You're both wearing red, huh?" Hughes halted, snow chipping onto the ice. He leaned in, "Feeling romantic, are we?"

Edward blushed, almost slipping.

"Well, I pronounce you married in my eyes." Maes winked, placing his hand over the pair's interlocked hands, "Can't wait for the real wedding."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**(1) **'Brothers' in note form, for the.amethyst.alchemist. By request.

Wooooo!!!! I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER!!! -insert scream of triumph- IT TOOK ME FOREVER!! I THOUGHT I would never get it done! ... Caps lock got boring.

This is the last chapter of this story.

Oh my goddess Martel, is it really? No!

Yes.

Awwww!!

But there's an epilogue! It's short! But it exists! (like Edward!) hahaha!

Everyone pig out on Roy's homemade pie, cookies and cupcakes! Share them with everyone you know! For we celebrate the happy ending we all thought would never happen! -throws more fluff in the air-

AND THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE WHO IS READING THIS RIGHT NOW! I COULDN"T HAVE WRITTEN THIS WITHOUT YOU! -loves you to death- -revives you to celebrate happy ending-

Love and endless ultima kisses,

meganekko


	24. Epilogue: Promise

**Epilogue- Dead Line **

The end.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Roy sat in his office, watching the water drip from the top of the window, creating little pathways along the smooth surface of the glass.

Edward was expected to be home in the next hour, finally returning with his brother in the flesh. They had waited so long to report this news; Roy wished it for dual reasons, Edward had promised...

"_As soon as Al is back in his body, I'll marry you. That's a promise."_

It looked like it would be a spring wedding.

The Colonel looked at the letter on his desk, tracing over the teen's signature, marked with a little heart, with his finger.

_See you soon, love from Edward._

Roy smiled, running his hand through his hair. Abruptly, he laughed, loudly.

Havoc and Breda poked their heads into the office, curiously looking at the Colonel, as if they wondered if had lost his mind.

"Did you get some good news, sir?" Hawkeye joined the others at the door, pushing it wider and causing them to fall to the floor.

Roy's laugh dwindled away, he smiled genuinely at his companions, holding Edward's letter in his hand. "They're coming home, the Elrics, they're coming home. Both of them, in the flesh."

Smiles graced the others, Havoc's cigarette actually dropped from his mouth. "They're themselves again? Like all together?"

"That's what Edward said in his letter."

"So, the little boss is 100 percent now?" Breda questioned, moving to sit on the couch.

"He didn't mention anything about himself, except to say that he's never been happier."

"Sir!" Fuery ran into the office, nearly knocking over Lieutenant Hawkeye and earning a sharp glare. "The train is coming in right now! The Elric's train!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Roy stood like a sentinel, waiting for the train to pull in, feeling for all the world like one of the soldier's wives he was standing next to, longingly awaiting their love's return.

The train puffed into the docking station, stopping with a lurch. Roy's heart beat accelerated, scanning the suddenly bustling crowd for that familiar glimmer of pure golden hair.

"Roy!"

He turned, exhilaration making him breathe heavily, as he looked for whoever called his name. There was a flash of crimson and gold, and he was on the ground, arms wrapped firmly around his waist, and petal-pink lips pressed onto his own.

"Brother, people are staring!"

"I'm home, I'm home..." Edward breathed, partially releasing the older man, and allowing him to get to his feet. Tears were falling steadily from his eyes, he wiped his nose on his sleeve, turning and pulling Alphonse into the embrace the two older men shared. "I'm so happy... I love you..." he sobbed, simultaneously being comforted by the equally bemused lover and brother.

They broke apart after a while, walking back down the platform, Roy carrying the much-abused leather suitcase. Noticing the stagger in the blonde's walk, he placed his hand on his shoulder, realising that it was still cold, unfeeling steel.

"Edward..." he began.

"The trade for Al's soul is still in effect, yeah. I didn't think getting my arm back was really important anyway."

Alphonse studied Roy's face, looking around nervously.

"I agree, having your younger brother is much more important. Who else would be your best man?"

The younger Elric did a double take, "What? Brother? You're getting married?"

Edward chuckled, blushing slightly, "I never did tell you that, did I, Al? As soon as I got you back to normal, Roy and I are getting married."

"Why didn't you tell me before!?"

"Because you would have said that I should be happy before you, and I didn't want to argue about it."

"That's ridiculous! But, wow! I'm so happy for you! And I would be honored to be your best man, brother! When is your wedding going to be?"

Roy laughed, loudly for the second time in as many hours, grabbing both brothers and hugging them tightly. "I've always wanted a spring wedding!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Before you do anything with your wedding plans, you have this mountain of paperwork to complete." Hawkeye indicated the large stack of papers in the inbox, and the relatively empty status of the outbox.

Roy groaned, letting his wedding magazine slide to the floor, picking up his favorite pen.

"And yes, I will be your maid of honor." the Lieutenant blushed, hurrying out of the room, as if she couldn't abide Mustang's presence in her embarrassment.

Roy pored over the tedious stack of work, fingering his ring. All these memorandums and reports had due dates. He briefly wondered what would have happened those months ago is he had faced the incidents with Tremblay in the same fashion as other work.

Those events firmly in his mind, Roy Mustang had never been so glad to reach a dead line.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

That is seriously the end.

The wedding may be written as a oneshot or something, but as for this fic...

IT'S DONE.

Thank you so much for your support and love, to all you readers and reviewers.

I love you all.

Love and kisses,

meganekko


	25. Interlude: Last

**Dead Line Interlude II: The Last Dance**

Thank you to anyone who came back to read this ending! I love you with all my heart!!

Special thank yous to those new readers who reviewed every chapter! Honestly, I wouldn't be able to! I would just go to the next one, to escape the cliffy's of doom!

Also a notice to anyone, the best song ever for this fic, would probably have to be "The Last Night" or "Comatose", both by Skillet.

Quoth the authoress: Disclaim all!

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Brotherrrr!! Waaake uuup!"

Edward groaned, rolling over and much to his surprise, coming face to face with his very human younger brother. He was still unused to seeing Alphonse's round youthful face, but did not complain, it had been his wish after all. To return to his birthplace with his brother, complete and whole.

Alphonse, Edward, and Roy had journeyed to the Rockbell's house in Resembool, as it had been discussed that the wedding would be ideal in the country, with no paparazzi storming it to report the news of the famous Colonel's marriage to a lower ranking officer. The two to be married had taken up residence in Edward and Alphonse's old room, while the younger Elric opted for the oddly comfortable sofa in the living room.

"Today's important! You have to get up!!"

"What could possibly be more important than snoozing in my big warm bed on a Saturday morning?" Edward mumbled, opening one eye over the top of his blanket.

"How about your very impatient fiancé and this very exquisite breakfast he sent me up with?"

Edward considered this for several beats, his eyes dimmed with sleep.

"Yeah, that sounds like the only reasonable answer."

"Here..." Alphonse placed a tray delicately on Edward's lap, careful not to position the legs of said tray on the golden-haired teen's real leg.

"Does your body still hurt, brother?" the younger Elric questioned, knowing the toll the transmutation had taken on his brother's already fragile body. Edward had not taken into account that the gate would try to take him again, narrowly escaping with his life. Instead of taking a limb, or internal organs, the gate seemed satisfied with simply reopening all of his previously closed scars, freshening the evidence of the events that had taken place months ago.

As far as he was concerned, he really didn't care, his brother was alive, and healthy.

"Yeah, I won't be entering any dancing contests any time soon."

Alphonse smiled, his grey eyes sparkling, "At least you have your humour still."

"What about you, Al? How are you feeling?"

"I feel great!" the boy spread his arms, twirling on the spot, "I've never felt better!"

"I'm glad." Edward smiled gently, nibbling on a strawberry.

"But you have to dance with Roy tonight!"

"Hm?"

"You have to dance at your wedding, it's like a law or something."

"Oh, right..." Edward swallowed the strawberry, not chewing it properly and feeling it move slowly down his throat.

"Did you forget?" his brother asked, tilting his head to one side.

"No... I'm just tired."

"Do you want me to tell the Colonel you're going back to sleep?"

"I'll get up in a minute..." the teen forced out a smile, "I can't ignore my breakfast, can I?"

The boy laughed in response, patting his brother on the foot as he walked out of the room, "Drink your milk, Edward."

A frown darkened the older sibling's face, he looked disparagingly at the small cup of milk beside the plate. After a few minutes of engaging in a silent struggle against the milk, Edward was interrupted by a knock on the door, looking hastily up to meet the midnight eyes of his soon-to-be husband.

"Good mor-" Roy checked himself, "-afternoon, Edward."

The teen gave a small smile in response, picking absent-mindedly at the toast that was now bordering cool.

Roy ventured closer to his lover, sinking slowly on to the bed, already sensing something was amiss with the golden teen.

"What's the matter?"

Edward cursed himself for his outward display of sadness, trying ardently to paste a smile over his expression. It did not reach his eyes, however, a dead giveaway to the older man that something was wrong.

"Ed, tell me. What's wrong?" Roy's eyes were deep and calculating, as if he were trying to see exactly what was making his lover so upset.

"I'm..." the younger of the two sighed, looking away, "It's nothing..."

Roy's eyebrows drew closer together, he placed his hand over Edward's flesh one, tightening his grip fractionally to indicate his support.

"I miss my mom, I wanted her to be here for this day."

"Oh, honey..." Roy reached forward and embraced the teen, stroking his long hair.

"She said she couldn't wait for my wedding day... that she would be so proud."

"She still will be, I know."

"But won't she be mad at me for what I did? I got Al back to normal, but that homunculus, she hated me for what I'd done. What if Mom feels the same?"

"She wouldn't, she loves you Edward."

The teen noted the current tense Roy had chosen for the word 'love', leaning further into his chest as he felt the sensation of tears forming on his eyelashes. His shoulders quivered slightly with suppressed sobs, he choked out his words, "But what if she doesn't? What if she hated me for being with you? I wish she was here, so at least I would know."

"Think, Edward. Do you really think she could? From everything you've told me, there's no way she would ever hate you. I'm sure she knows you only had the best intentions."

Edward was silent, his shaking slowing. He sighed, brushing his tears away, streaking his cheeks with a thin line of moisture.

"Y-you're right. You're always right. Why do I always try to disbelieve you?"

Roy wasn't certain what to say to this, instead clamping his mouth shut and maintaining his loose hold on his lover. A myriad of thoughts stumbled through his mind, nervousness hand in hand with delighted anticipation of the rest of the day's events.

"Are you okay, Edward?"

The teen was still, thinking deeply on this question. "Yes..."

Roy parted his lips to say another reassuring word, when Edward's fingers flew forward, shoving a large red berry in the older man's mouth.

"Have a strawberry." the blonde said, reaching for the platter to take one for himself. The raven-haired man chewed thoughtfully, shifting fully onto the bed, sprawled across it perpendicular to the teen. He looked over after a moment of sorting his thoughts, watching his lover happily devouring several strawberries with generous amounts of whipped cream.

There was a streak of whipped cream across his cheek, fluctuating teasingly as he chewed.

Tormented by this display for a few seconds, Roy sprang up and launched himself at the younger man, capturing his cream-frosted lips in a passionate kiss.

He was busily removing the whipped cream from his lover's face without the aid of any cleaning implement, when Maes Hughes burst most unceremoniously into the room.

"Good afternoon, lovebirds!!" he shouted, bounding into the air, "I have pictures of Elicia's dress for your wedding!! She's even cuter than the bride!" he paused, "Oh, hah. I mean the groom!" He stopped for another long pause, "Unless one of you is the bride?"

Roy and Ed stared dully at the exuberant father, exchanging subtle, but meaningful glances.

_Is one of us the bride??_

"But of course you're not! The closest one to being a bride is Roy actually."

"And how do you figure that?" the bride asked.

"You have a maid of honour and Edward has a best man." answered Hughes casually.

"I have both, you're my best man!" growled the Colonel, getting off the bed in one fluid motion. At this, Hughes let out a loud laugh, and grabbed Roy's arm and dragged him out of the room, bellowing something about a suit that needed final adjustments.

Edward merely blinked, wincing as the door was thrust open once more and Winry and Pinako came in, brandishing several articles of clothing and demanding to know _why_ Edward had not decided on exactly what he was wearing for his wedding day.

Not long afterward, Edward had become their doll of sorts, and his disgruntled countenance was returned with a fully apologetic look from his younger brother.

"Sorry brother, I accidentally told them you were just gonna throw something on. Apparently that won't do at all."

The blonde snarled at his brother, who scurried away, looking genuinely alarmed.

After many minutes of various states of undress for the embarrassed man, Pinako stepped back, happiness glowing on her wizened face. She admired her handiwork with a smile, placing her ever-present pipe in her mouth, puffing it with a satisfied aura.

The outfit they had created for him was unlike anything he had ever dreamed of wearing; a white shirt made of thin flowing cloth rested over his slender muscular frame, covered by a sleek black vest. Below this was a pair of blacks slacks, accentuated with narrow lines of embroidery near the hem of the legs. His hair was brushed into silken perfection, left free to hang down to waist-height

Winry gave a low whistle as Edward turned uncertainly, sunshine illuminating the silver buttons on his vest.

"You look beautiful, Edward." she smiled, tears spilling over her fair eyelashes.

"Ah, Winry, don't cry!"

"But I'm happy for you! I'll cry if I want to!" She tore off, nearly knocking over Alphonse, who was just entering with a bouquet of white roses.

"I brought the Sempervirens roses, Auntie Pinako!" Alphonse announced, displaying the roses for her to see.

"Excellent Alphonse." she pointed at Edward's hair, indicating that the younger brother should get to work weaving the creamy flowers into the perfect golden strands. He hopped to immediately, arranging the flowers delicately on his brother's hair.

Edward frowned, "You guys are trying to make me look like a girl, aren't you?"

"No, brother, you look beautiful!"

"You have miraculously managed to maintain your masculinity!" Hughes strode into the room, his camera aloft, already snapping pictures.

He finished with a broad grin, tucking the roll of film safely away somewhere in the deep recesses of his suit jacket. Craning his neck slightly, he looked Edward over completely, seeming to compare him to someone hiding in the hallway.

"I think he looks even better than you, Roy." he commented, his hand stroking his beard thoughtfully. He nodded, beckoning for the other man to join the members of the room.

Tentative and nervous, which was strange for him, Roy stepped into the room, revealing his specially chosen wedding outfit.

It was a slim-fitting suit, hugging each curve of his body in stylish tailored perfection. The color of choice was primarily black, but upon closer scrutiny, a silky white shirt with accompanying white tie peeked out from under his clasped hands. A slight blush crept over his cheeks, he smiled anxiously at his fiancé, who shyly returned the gesture.

"Awww, they're nervous!" Hughes cooed, grabbing Roy around the shoulders and hugging him tightly.

"Hey guys!" Winry's voice sounded from downstairs, "You're supposed to be ready in five minutes!"

Pinako continued smiling at her adoptive son, striding out of the room. Hughes made to follow her, but was halted when Edward called out to him.

"Um, Hughes? Will you come here for a minute?" Edward clung to his lover's arm, looking up at the bespectacled man with imploring aureate eyes. "I have a favor to ask you..."

"Ask away!" Hughes replied with a winning grin.

"Would you be the one to give me away? You're the closest one to a father I have."

Hughes' smile dropped by a few molars as he processed the request, only to broaden to new lengths with his compliance. "O-of course I will," he managed eventually, reaching forward and gripping the blonde's shoulder, "Thank you for asking me."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I believe Mr. Mustang has written his own vows. If you would...?"

Roy straightened, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a much folded paper, smoothing it out with shaky hands. He exhaled, smiling gently at his soon-to-be husband.

"I- I've tried really hard to write my vows, but, sometimes... sometimes words aren't enough. I got to thinking about before. I looked after you and that strengthened my love for you..." He paused, summoning up some composure, "It's strange how I hadn't come to terms with the simple fact that I love you, until I almost lost you. I was thinking about it when you came to stay with me, that I don't remember when I began loving you. Maybe I always did, before I even knew you. It seemed I couldn't put it into words at the time, but I could help you, and maybe my actions spoke for me. So I wanted to say to you, that I love you, Edward Elric, and I'll always be there to look after you."

There was a swelling sigh from the crowd, and more than one person reached for a a handkerchief. This included Fuery, who had to borrow one from Breda. He blew his nose loudly, causing all the people in the immediate vicinity to look round at the noise.

"Your vows, Mr. Elric?"

"I- I just wanted to say thank you." Edward said in a small voice, almost inaudible.

"Pardon?"

"I wanted to say thank you." he repeated in a stronger voice, looking up into Roy's midnight eyes. "Thank you for being there when I needed it the most. And... thank you for saving my life so I could restore my brother. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Edward took the older man's hands in his own, "Thank you for loving me, I will do the same for you, no matter what. Even if something horrible happens again, it won't be able to take away my love for you."

By this point, Fuery was bawling into Breda's well-pressed suit, and was being pat on the head by the uncertain burly man.

"May I have the rings?"

Alphonse snapped to attention, rushing forward and handing the rings to the tall leader of ceremonies. They were then transferred to the awaiting grooms.

"Do you, Roy William Mustang, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?"

Roy gently took Edward's scarred flesh hand in his own, giving it a tiny squeeze as he slid the ring on the appropriate thin finger. "I do." he said in a strong, ringing voice.

"And do you, Edward Autumn Elric, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

The blonde held the ring clumsily within his metallic hand, trying to get a firm grip on it. He struggled for a moment, before Roy delicately moved the ring for him. Edward smiled, fitting the ring over Roy's slightly thicker finger, "I do."

"Then, in the eyes of the state, and the eyes of your friends and family, I pronounce you a married couple." the leader of ceremonies looked to Roy, nodding, "You may kiss your new husband."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"-and so I said, that's not a herring, that was my trout!" Hughes boomed, much to everyone's confusion. It was the general idea to not take anything the emerald-eyed man said seriously after a couple glasses of Tombstone Digs' Ghost Rum.

The party that followed the tearful wedding ceremony was raucous and loud, 70 percent of the noise caused by Hughes as he rambled on about anything and everything, to anyone and everyone.

Edward and Roy were immediately centralised in the party atmosphere, with guests greeting them and congratulating them endlessly.

The dancing had yet to begin, as the band had been somewhat delayed by what was reported as a runaway bassist.

Meanwhile, Edward and Roy decided on opening wedding gifts, the younger's eyes alight with childish wonder at the large stack before him.

From Hughes and his family they received a new bed set, colored, for some strange reason, a bright cheerful orange.

"It's 'cause Roy's red, like flames, and Edward's gold like... his hair, and when you mix 'em up, you get orange." Hughes thought a moment, "This is like your color-love-child set!"

Gracia then led him away from the bewildered couple.

Winry and Pinako had gone for the homey approach as well, giving the newlyweds a set of throw rugs and blankets.

Havoc had brought some odd exotic-looking orchid, which Roy was absolutely delighted with.

Fuery and Breda had chipped in together and presented their superior officers with a mailbox painted with stylized flames claiming that it symbolised their love, because it was metal with flames on it. The sexual innuendo was nervously laughed at by both parties, and the mailbox soon joined the pile with the rest of the gifts.

Riza was practical and had given them an extensive stationery set, with a multitude of differently colored pens. The small note suggesting the use of a pen on paperwork was pointedly ignored by the raven-haired man, and the couple thanked the maid of honour for her gift.

Alphonse came rushing up the the pair, holding up a box to his brother. "Here, brother, for you guys."

The blonde opened the box with apparent interest, pulling out plush versions of himself and Roy, dressed in their wedding attire, flowers and all. Roy laughed at this, greatly appreciating the present.

"Beats wedding pictures!" he commented, hugging Alphonse happily.

Among other odds and ends, the last of the gifts was a large box of chocolate fondant, from a rather nice-looking box, tied with a red ribbon. Edward pulled out the card, reading it curiously. His eyes widened and Roy bent over to read what the card said:

_Congratulations. Thank you._

_--Cael_

They grinned at each other, both thinking the exact same thing.

"Whoo, the band is here!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Dance! Dance! Dance! Dance!" the crowd chanted, urging the couple out onto the dance floor that was transmuted out of some nearby lumber.

Edward flexed his flesh leg unsteadily, awaited by Roy, who placed his hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"You don't have to dance if you're in pain."

"I think I would regret it in the long run..." Edward said, standing up and placing his hand in the older man's.

They walked on to the dance floor to the applause of the congregation, both blushing extravagantly. After a moment of figuring whose hands went where, they began a slow, intimate dance across the square floor.

"I love you so much," Roy whispered, his breath tickling the blonde's ear.

"The feeling's mutual." replied Edward, tightening his grip on the raven-haired man. He leaned in, resting his head on Roy's chest, a sweat breaking out on his pale skin. He opened his mouth to say something when his leg buckled underneath him, and he began to fall.

The midnight-eyed man's reflexes were quicker than Edward's gravity, however, and the Colonel lifted him up into his arms, cradling him softly.

Quiet muttering broke out among the crowd as the newlyweds left the dance floor, Roy waved at the already inebriated Hughes to commence the dancing for the others.

Hughes obeyed, yanking Elicia and Gracia onto the dance floor and began spinning them around.

Other couples followed, Riza going with Havoc, and leaving Breda and Fuery to dance with each other, earning a confused and somewhat abandoned look from Falman.

Roy set Edward down on a sturdy white chair, crouching at his side and supporting his shoulder. He grabbed a glass of water, handing it to the younger man as he rubbed his back, massaging it in small circles.

"Are you okay?"

Edward nodded slowly, drinking down large gulps of water. "I just need to sit for a bit, I'm okay," he smiled, setting the glass shakily on the table.

"Roi-kun!" A wavery voice interrupted the pair, making them both look up, meeting the narrow eyes of a short Xingese woman. "Where's the bride?"

Roy sat with his mouth open for a delayed moment, taking in the haughty form of his mother. He gaped, clearly not expecting her at all.

She craned her neck, spotting Riza. "Is that her? In the blue dress?"

Roy straightened, placing his hand on Edward's shoulder, who blushed and looked at his hands folded in his lap. "This is Edward, mother. My _husband._"

Roy's mother was blank for about two seconds, until a dark frown clouded her features. Color rose up in her cheeks as she fumed, but before she did anything, she turned on her heel and marched back the way she came, waving to her escort, a terrified looking Xingese teen, who followed hurriedly.

The raven-haired man made no move to stop her, only watching as she slammed her car door shut with angry ferocity, and sped away from the Rockbell's home.

"I'm sorry, Roy." Edward mumbled, still looking at his hands.

Snapping back from his distant staring, Roy looked down at the blonde, once again kneeling beside him. "Don't apologize for someone else's shortcomings. My mother has been homophobic her entire life, I didn't expect her to change for me."

"But I don't want to be the cause of trouble with your mother-"

"It's her trouble, and it is not your fault in the least. I love you, she's not going to change that."

"It was brave of you, telling her like that."

"Believe me, I was scared she was going to slap me, or worse, you. I think it went as well as it could've, actually."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Ooh, Roy!" Hughes yelled over the music, "It's _our_ song!! Come and dance with me! But only if Edward isn't the jealous type!!"

Sighing exasperatedly, Roy looked to his lover, who nodded toward the dance floor. "Go dance, don't let me stop you."

Placing his hands on Edward's shoulders, Roy placed a kiss gently on his forehead, whispering, "My last dance will always be with you, though."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

This is it. The end.

I said that during the epilogue didn't I?

... Well, now it's official, unless I throw some drabble fics in under the Dead Line universe. (I'll note that in summaries)

Thank you to all the reviewers and readers. You are my inspiration and happiness.

Signing out for the last time on Dead Line...

Review for pie and cookies,

Love and kisses,

meganekko


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